Chapter 31: Maple leaf
"Stop coughing and I will." A sigh followed as Izaya's expression showed one of annoyance. Izaya was grateful Shizuo cared for him to some degree and he was more than delighted that the king was going to help him search for his sisters.
But this glance- those pitiful eyes directed at him were just something he had gotten so sick of over the years that it didn't matter which intention they stemmed from.
Just seeing them was an eyesore.
"Being sassy isn't attractive, you know?" he argued curtly, wiping a smile onto the king's expression. His intention had been to flip the blond off, but apparently he failed as nothing but a smile was cast his way.
Shizuo liked the banter.
It was a rarity inside the castle's walls. The only one who might say something resembling a tease was James and even he always remained in what he believed to be his place and stance.
Not his wife.
The glorious glare directed at him and the words dripping with sarcasm were too good of a conversation to skip.
Shrugging simply, knowing it would tick his new wife off even more he decided that two could play at this game. "Neither is being stubborn yet here we are."
The sight of Izaya's expression was glorious.
"You-" Izaya was about to retort something of equal intellect to show the blond just who was in charge of this topic, but his lungs just so decided that it was time to humiliate him once more.
Raising his elbow to muffle the coughs at least only emphasized Shizuo's point instead. A winning smile showed on Shizuo's expression as he pointed towards the bed. "You should sleep."
Gaze straying towards the center of the king's attention, Izaya looked at the oversized night aid. Beautified with all the gems and metals the world had to offer it proved quite the sight to behold. "It's your bed."
He might as well have said the sky is blue as obvious as the fact was but seeing how Shizuo was offering it without even batting an eyelid he felt the need to remind him.
Nothing but a shrug was given as another grape disappeared inside Shizuo's mouth before the plate was shoved aside.
"Don't be stupid. You are the one spitting blood. Like hell I'm going to roll up in some cozy blankets and have you get worse meanwhile."
Ah. He was swearing.
Apparently the worse Shizuo's manners became the more honest his words' contents were. It might have been an unsuiting trait for a king supposed to remain calm at all times but to Izaya it seemed endearing.
Mairu was the same.
Incapable of bending her iron will, the maids had tried everything in their power to make her submit to what was considered well behaved manners of both actions and speech. They failed of course.
And somehow Izaya could envision the same scenario with a young version of Shizuo. It made him feel oddly familiar.
"Really? Exchanging this for stiff shoulders and a sore back?" Izaya added with a hint of amusement, but the blond didn't budge.
"So? I'm used to sleeping on the ground, it's not like it bothers me."
Right. Shizuo was not only the king of these lands, but also a warrior. Eyes fell onto the sword and belt previously tossed aside. Resting right next to the door they had been mindlessly dropped and not spared a glimpse of interest ever since.
This man held no interest in expensive fabrics and comfortability. Funny considering he had all the world had possibly to offer at his sign.
Feeling a smile crawl upon his features Izaya sighed.
"You know what? Fine. I claim this as mine now. Don't think I will take pity on you and return it someday." Tugging the blanket close so as to not lose it while raising to his feet Izaya moved over to the object of desire.
The softest creaks and sounds of fabric moving against fabric resounded as Izaya rolled onto his stomach. He was facing the fireplace and the solid stronghold that Shizuo resembled against the raging flames. His silhouette was quite something.
Now only sitting in nothing but his linen shirt and thin pants Izaya had free view on his broad back and the muscles tensing underneath the garment.
Scars from what must have been glorious battles aligned on his skin wherever it happened to reveal itself. Despite their natural connotation they somehow only added to the king's flair.
Tainted orange by the flames, his blond hair took on a darker color and Izaya spotted a couple of leaves stuck in a strand of hair.
Surprise called to Shizuo's expression when he felt something brush his head.
"What are you doing?" A sour expression was all he faced when he turned to look at his new wife.
"Don't move. I'm trying to make you look at least half decent." A leaf was dangling from Izaya's fingertips and Shizuo realized what he was doing with more amusement than he was probably supposed to feel. "It's just some leaves," he snorted, but only received a sigh from behind.
"You know that's one of the reasons why the rest of the aristocracy doesn't take you seriously." One, two, three picks later the blond mane of hair was freed of any uninvited visitors and Izaya dropped the leaves on the ground.
"Because of a few leaves?" Shizuo questioned while picking one of them off the ground. It were maple leaves. They must have gotten stuck in his hair when his horse decided it would be a nice shortcut to dash through the forest's branches. "Because of how you present yourself," Izaya continued and Shizuo's mood dampened. Twisting the leaf in front of his body it cast a nice set of shadows along his arm and he sighed as he let his head thud backwards into the bed's ledge.
It enabled him to look at the ceiling as well as Izaya who was now leaning on his elbow while continuing his explanation.
"You are the king. The shining mortal god deciding on everyone's fate and what not. People expect you to look like it." Hand wildy gesturing away as if it would help making the king understand Izaya tried to elaborate.
Shizuo already knew. Even without Izaya telling him.
To say Shizuo disliked the topic was a mild underestimation. It was what he had been hearing for years. From his father, that is. Who wanted a suitable successor. He was used to the accusations when it came to him, but hearing them from Izaya somehow struck a different chord. Compared to the former king it was a more structural approach and so Shizuo didn't lash out as he usually did. Because opposite to his father Izaya wasn't trying to blame him, but trying to help.
Funny.
They were the same words used by so many others, yet when Izaya said them they sounded… gentle.
"You say that as if it were so easy," he sighed softly, only to earn a shrug from his wife.
"I bet I could pull it off. I mean I already succeeded in making everyone think I'm a woman." The confidence in which he spoke was somehow contagious as Shizuo tried to suppress a smile forcing itself onto his expression. Funny.
Izaya was the first to make a conversation about what Shizuo was lacking seem this light.
In general, the way Izaya was wording every single topic they spoke about just seemed so free of judgment. The phrase of having a tongue of silver popped into Shizuo's mind and a smile settled on his lips.
"You know what, you really could. The way you handled those dukes seemed even better than my father's negotiations." Just thinking about how those two left with their egos blown and anxiety high brought satisfaction to Shizuo's mind. "Ah. Now it makes sense why you volunteered to advise me-" Shizuo quickly added, clearly recalling their conversation at the fireplace in front of the inn. Izaya had volunteered to assist him with negotiations, which had been odd for a woman, but for a man…
Izaya must have been extremely anxious at that moment. Shizuo recalled the way he tried taking back his suggestion.
… but that wasn't all he remembered.
The kidnapping.
The blood.
Those three bastards faced Izaya with what had undoubtedly been the intention to kill… and also Izaya's glance when Shizuo slayed them in front of his eyes.
"... did you seriously think I would rape you?" the words came low as a whisper as Shizuo's guts churned.
It was awfully quiet in the chamber for a brief second.
From all the pretenses Izaya may or may not have upheld, the fear in his eyes had undoubtedly been real.
His neck suddenly felt hot as iron. He didn't dare turn to look at Izaya for fear of what kind of expression he might show. Shizuo had asked a question he didn't really want an answer to.
"Kinda, kinda not," Izaya began and his voice sounded softer than anything Shizuo had ever had the pleasure of listening to, "But you know, just having you lift me on that damned horse freaked me out because I thought you might realize something."
Ah.
Right.
Shizuo had had a fair amount of chances to realize what exactly he was dealing with.
"I remember thinking how thin you were," he mumbled absentmindedly, recalling the way he pulled Izaya into his arms. A bitter smile made him pause as he shook his head slowly. "I'm really dense, huh?"
"It's not like I made it easy to guess."
Humming doubtful Shizuo twisted the leaf two more times before tossing it into the searing flames.
"You weren't the only one I fooled, though," Izaya started anew, "the guy who kidnapped me thought he could have a nice time with the future queen and shrieked when he touched my junk instead."
Cold.
Freezing cold sept into Shizuo's mind at the words.
Turning his head to look at Izaya he seemed fairly unbothered by what he had just said- Shizuo's guts, however, went flying.
That close.
Those bastards had gotten that close to harm Izaya. Somehow the fact made his blood boil worse than when he had been on site and his fist involuntarily tightened.
"... good thing they are dead." or else he would have killed them now, was what he wanted to say, but only uttered the first part with strained calmth.
"Yeah, I really didn't expect you to appear at that moment," Izaya added and Shizuo's ears perked.
"Because of the rumors?" He was very well aware of what kind of reputation he had outside of his turf and Izaya's attitude had been one too honest to cast aside as an act.
"More or less. I thought you didn't care about the wedding and just wanted to get a wife to-" Izaya faded out. There was no need to elaborate further, Shizuo was perfectly capable of deducting the rest.
Mood dampening further, Shizuo's glance fell back to the dying flames.
A particularly large lodge was picked and tossed into the hungry fire. Sparks crackled and a few flew too far, searing the tips of the air on Shizuo's arm. Moving it with a quick flick he sighed.
"...what kind of rumors did you come across?"
A blink followed as Izaya's gaze followed his arm. "Are you sure you want to know?"
Fair question.
Did he?
Shizuo wasn't quite sure, and yet-
"No one in this castle would tell me upright in fear of my feelings. You strike me as the only one who wouldn't spare the details." A gaze too pure to ignore was directed towards Izaya.
Sighing softly he crossed his arms in front before letting his chin rest on them.
"It is said that you are fond of torture. Some exaggerate and say you drink the blood of the victims as well. Another depicts you as a monster yourself, disguised as a man. There is even a rumor going around saying your family is cursed."
With his father acting the way he did? Yeah Shizuo could see how they came up with that one.
"What kind of curse?" he asked and Izaya elaborated.
"Immortality. Something about you hailing satan for your strength and selling your soul in exchange. You know, to serve a reason why you are heartless."
Immortality and strength, well those were at least characteristics that worked in his favor even if their cause was arguably lunatic.
Letting his hand run over his face Shizuo closed his eyes for a moment. "How do people even come up with things like that?"
Comforting silence was received by Izaya as he skipped on laying the raw truth bare.
He had realized that the topic hung low over the blond for some reason and wasn't trying to pour salt into an already stinging wound.
"Well you did look pretty daunting when I first met you," he said instead, trying to steer the conversation into more favorable waters.
Shizuo was helping him against all odds and showing not a sign of distrust. Izaya had no intention to put a man who was giving his best down.
"Is that why you fainted?" Shizuo suddenly asked and Izaya blinked.
Fainted?
Ah.
Right he did. Upon arriving to the castle-
"Of course not," he quickly defended his already vanishing remnants of pride. "Remember the carriage? With the corpse? It made me think about my own flesh rotting soon. Besides I didn't sleep or eat anything for too long so it was just that, really." A snort followed at the way Izaya's words sped up the more he tried to rectify his actions.
"So it wasn't the demonic glare in my eyes?" Shizuo laughed, referring to the aforementioned rumors.
And Izaya shook his head.
"If you are a demon then I might just look forward to going to hell."
Fire crackled, and for a moment Shizuo was just speechless.
That.
Those words just approved of everything the blond was in such a smooth and warm manner. It made him feel- ... what?
He wasn't entirely sure. But something about this whole conversation just spurred his body into an unimaginable urge to act.
To do what?
He wasn't quite sure. But he knew it had effortlessly chased away the cold that had sept into his body as his lips curled into an unwavering smile.
"Sure, let's go together. And let's take all this junk with us on the way."
Izaya blinked and looked around with doubt as he realized what the blond was talking about.
"Junk? You are aware this is pure gold, right?" he snorted, but only received a shrug in return.
"It's my father's. For what I care it could all be gone."
Hesitation suddenly marked Izaya's expression as he realized there was a certain topic that he still needed to address.
"Ah. Regarding that…" he started, and god heavens he had no idea how to phrase his newest problem without sounding like a god damn thief.
"Hesitating only makes me more curious about what you have to say, you know," Shizuo suddenly said, redirecting Izaya's glance to those honest eyes of his. "What did you do?"
to be continued~
Ah, it seems this conversation will lead on to a 4th part XDDDD I hope you aren't growing tired of it yet haha
Also, sorry xD I was sick for over two weeks straight- fuck children omg can they just not carry a thousand diseases with them? xDDD I only have three updates this week, but I should be able IF I DON'T GET FUCKING SICK AGAIN -cough- to update all 5 stories again next Saturday xDDD