Chapter 36: Budding feelings

The calming sensation of fresh air suddenly twisted into nothing but a seeping cold of horror as Izaya's elbows braced themselves against the door.

A glare of pure anger was staring him down and his eyes widened in shock.

Why?

Why was he here?

Madness defined the duke's expression and the fact that the two of them were entirely alone became awfully clear.

He had to get away-

But as soon as the idea of slipping through the door came to mind his father's arm shot forward.

Arms lifted to tear at the hand that was now clutching Izaya's throat- but to no avail. His father was stronger than him- always had been, and the grip only tightening at Izaya's laughable pathetic attempt to escape.

"What is your idea, huh? Izaya?" his father hissed with low words, "Are you trying to bribe me? Rat me out? To that dumb king's son?!" The words dripped with venom and despite being whispered in a suppressed voice Izaya felt them loud and clear in his ears.

A glare settled on Izaya's expression as he ceased his pathetic attempts of escape. "Scared?"

He shouldn't have taunted his father. Not when he was like this, but even Izaya couldn't douse the burning fire in his stomach when being confronted by the one person that had made his life miserable.

Increasing the strength on his choking hold, Izaya winced shortly as the duke drew in a quick breath of air.

"Of you? Don't make me laugh," he spat, "Don't even think about killing me, it will be your last mistake. People owe me more than just money and my disappearance is going to set a lot of nobles into action." A sinister smile spread across his face and Izaya's expression froze. "There are loveable auctions taking place in Liberon, did you know? People get to try their new playthings before they purchase."

Izaya's stomach flipped at the implication- he had already feared that his father had come up with a nasty scheme to make sure his revenge was met even in his death. But this?

"Now, Izaya, what I want from you is-"

"Ah! Mika!" Izaya suddenly said, looking just past his father's shoulders and his adrenaline spiked.

He had to react-

Quick.

Once his father managed to give him an order there was no avoiding it-

He had to act.

Act like someone was nearby, listening in.

It would loosen the duke's hold and make room for Izaya to escape.

That was the idea when he greeted his favorite maid, who definitely wasn't present in the garden.

But his father was no fool. Turning his head he quickly checked their surroundings but moved not an inch.

There was no one.

There never had been anyone.

And the rage that fact brought only tripled the force that met Izaya's guts-

Bending over Izaya retched for a moment as his stomach pivoted in protest and the ground was met by his knees.

It hurt-

The cane his father used was hard as ever and his knuckles even harder when he backhanded Izaya across his face.

"You think you are smart, huh? Izaya?!" he hissed lowly, before crouching down to meet Izaya on eye level. The cane was brought forth, forcing Izaya's chin up in order to force Izaya to look at him. "Now listen good, you will do exactly as I say. The day after tomorrow-"

Rough and harsh the protesting sound of the backdoor being opened interrupted the scene.

Even without looking Izaya instantly knew who it was that had just entered the garden as his father's expression instantly warped to one of disgusting smiles.

Shizuo-

"Ah, my dear, watch where you walk." The duke's stance straightened by itself and his expression shifted in what must have been under a second as he offered his hand.

His voice was sweet and gentle as if he couldn't hurt a fly even if he tried and the cane gone faster than a dragonfly chasing the sun.

It served a picture more horrifying than his drunken state back at the manor and within seconds Izaya felt Shizuo's eyes all over him.

Too late to have seen what the duke had done but smart enough to conclude enough.

The duke's hand extended and grasped Izaya's wrist before he even had a chance to react- and honestly Izaya had never experienced anything more repulsive.

The rough touch and wrinkled texture of the palm, that used to beat him, on his skin just felt so wrong-

He didn't want this man to touch him and didn't want to meet his stare.

He didn't want to be there- at this moment, this location-

And faster than he thought he was spared.

His father's hand was slapped away before Izaya knew it and replaced by a much kinder and stronger one.

Effortlessly, as if lifting a leaf off the ground, Shizuo pulled Izaya to his feet, and into his chest.

For a husband treating his woman, a natural action- for a guy not so much, but Izaya felt nothing but gratitude when Shizuo encircled his waist to pull him closer.

"My Lord, is there anything left to discuss?" Shizuo's tone was neutral to anyone oblivious, but Izaya could tell.

He was dead angry.

The king's entire body had stiffened to hard iron.

Just by chance Izaya saw the sword dangling from Shizuo's hip, and the hand that was tightly holding onto the hilt and Izaya's breath choked.

His father saw none of it and merely continued his disgusting show of fake submission.

"Ah, yes, regarding the new bond between our families I was thinking of inviting you to my next banquet if your time allows. To demonstrate our ties to the public," he smiled and Izaya's body stiffened.

What a fat lie.

Izaya couldn't believe how well prepared and witty his father was when he really needed to be. It caused his guts to churn and feel a kind of familiarity he wanted to tear off his body. It was sickening but at that moment Izaya realized that one of his most honed skills, his sharp tongue, was nothing else but a trait he had earned from his father.

But he shoved the thought aside as quickly as it had surfaced.

This situation was screaming to be defused.

He could tell Shizuo was about to behead this guy on the spot- and so he gracefully moved his palm above Shizuo's grasp of the hilt.

To anyone looking it might have seemed like a loving action from a loving wife- to Shizuo it was a secret sign.

Do not kill him.

"Sounds good, doesn't it?" Izaya asked with as few words as possible as he didn't trust his voice to sway and Shizuo seemed to understand.

Feeling the tension on his sword loosen Shizuo drew a deep breath.

"I will be there," he answered, just as short, addressing their newest, most hated guest. And he did it better than Izaya had thought he could.

Shizuo's voice remained stoic and unwavering.

Not a shred of emotion was to be deciphered in his eyes.

In a really sublime way he was telling the duke to fuck off without saying the words out aloud and somehow the bastard seemed to be able to tell as his words drowned.

Gaping like a fish the duke's lips opened, only to close again as he hesitated.

"... fantastic. Then if I may take my leave."

It was obvious that these had not been his chosen words of reply, but Shizuo's attitude had obviously prevented him from trying anything further. "Your highness," he bowed curtly and cast one last glance towards his son. "Kururi." Not a shred of anger, or malice was to be spotted in his smile.

And Izaya realized he was already cooking up his next scheme.

Izaya had escaped his orders for now, but the man was patient.

The banquet he had just invited Shizuo to-

Any other occasion-

The duke would appear more often and at some point he would start to realize there was more to this charade.

Clouds had gathered within the sky mirroring Shizuo's mood. A few bolts of lightning racing across the sky, that was the only subject missing to complete the picture.

Wordlessly the duke turned, and left. Through the very same door that Shizuo had come from.

Izaya found himself pushed away faster than he expected to, and Shizuo's face closer than he would have imagined-

"That son of a whore I will kill him-" the king uttered in a silent breath and it took Izaya a moment to catch onto the sudden burst of rage.

Of course. Shizuo had seen it. Right upon entering the garden.

A bruise on Izaya's cheek.

Slowly but surely it was forming and Shizuo's rage grew with its visibility.

"Don't-" Izaya asked, and wished he didn't have to stop the king. "He already planned ahead. If you kill him now my sisters will get sold to an auction faster than we will be able to find them."

Shizuo was really trying to hold onto his last shred of common sense, but what his wife had just said broke his very concept of the least shred of human decency that he believed every person to have.

"What?" he uttered quietly, hoping that Izaya was going to tell him he was joking.

But he wasn't.

It was painfully obvious from the way he behaved. From his eyes. The glance he tried to avoid.

Swallowing his anger the king cursed under his breath, "I shouldn't have left you out of my sight. It was obvious he was trying to get to you."

But Izaya laughed with a smile that never reached his eyes and somehow it stirred an overwhelming urge in Shizuo to act.

Act on what? He wasn't sure-

"No, I'm an idiot for not following your order. This wouldn't have happened if I had simply waited in our chamber."

And suddenly it was there.

Softly, like the brush of a butterfly lifting off a leaf, Shizuo's palm grazed Izaya's cheek and Izaya stilled. Shizuo was taller than Izaya, and right now, leaning down to look at his face, Izaya realized that fact anew. Broad shoulders covered by the unnecessary cloak of red that suited various kings served as a shield from the beginning rain.

"He hit you."

A deadly glare mixed with limitless care directed at Izaya and Izaya's breath choked as the king cursed. "What kind of bastard hits a woman?"

There was a hand on Izaya's chin. Eyes that somehow seemed to trap Izaya's gaze drowned in him.

Gently, with almost no pressure at all, Shizuo turned Izaya's face and his thumb tentatively brushed across his cheek.

A dumbfounded moment rendered Izaya speechless before he found his voice once more.

"I'm a man." He announced curtly, as if it was nothing but a simple correction, a matter of fact.

And Shizuo blinked.

"Ah. Right." Almost as if this had been the first time he had ever heard of it.

The absurdity of the statement forced Izaya into a chuckle, and this time it did reach his eyes as Shizuo's hand retracted.

"Did you forget?" he asked, but Shizuo seemed less amused and rather stuck with his discovery as a mere frown discarded his words. "Just slipped my mind."

"How does such a fact slip your mind?" Izaya laughed, and the irritation left Shizuo's face.

Izaya was laughing.

This.

This was better.

"Does it even matter?" he feigned offense, but couldn't quite help his own lips from tugging into the beginning of a smile.

A raindrop aimed particularly well ended up prickling just the lashes of Shizuo's eyes and he blinked with what almost looked like disgust.

Stare cast above at the gray sky he sighed. "Hot, cold, rain, sunshine, can this weather at least make up its mind?"

"That's called spring you know. Comes around every year," Izaya snorted, and a ray of sunshine, slipping past the heavy cloud, momentarily gushed across the garden. Had they been standing at a window in the castle they might have seen a rainbow from there.

Breeze picking up Izaya quickly brushed a strand of hair aside as his eyes followed the ray as it disappeared beyond the hydrangea- and Shizuo couldn't help but stare.

Izaya was beautiful. Even in the midst of rain and clouds, with a bruise forming on his cheek and somehow Shizuo found himself unable to look away.

"Are you okay?" the king asked before he could contain the question and Izaya blinked.

"I'm not coughing am I?"

No. Shizuo clicked his tongue, "You know what I mean."

Then again, did he?

He had no idea what Izaya's father had done to him before he arrived. He saw the bruise as a physical remembrance of what he had done- but what had he said? Shizuo was dying to know, yet glad he hadn't heard or else he might as well have chopped off the bastard's head off his neck the moment he came into his sword's range.

"He is gone," Izaya sighed, "Without accomplishing what he came for. That's more than I could have wished for." Izaya's expression dropped slightly and suddenly Shizuo regretted asking.

"You should get back to the castle. I doubt staying in pouring rain will contribute to your health," he quickly said, steering the conversation back into a more favorable direction.

He wanted Izaya to be happy. Healthy. If he could he would have loved to shoulder this burden resting on his wife on his own.

"What about you?" The question had come as unexpected as the blankness defining Shizuo's mind for a second.

Sure, the servants in the castle were always looking out to serve Shizuo as the king he had become. They looked out for any needs they could possibly tend to, no matter how negligible. But if there was one action they had stopped then it was asking about Shizuo's physical well being.

Because it wasn't necessary of course.

He couldn't even remember the last time he had been sick, less injured. And yet- right now, looking at Izaya, suffering the most from his own illness, worrying over Shizuo, somehow the thought caused his chest to grow with more warmth than he was comfortable with.

"Shizuo?"

"I will be fine," he quickly cleared his throat, "I'm leading a small campaign tonight. Someone appears to be robbing merchants on our route and I'm going to take care of that," he quickly informed, and Izaya's eyes only grew so much more enticing.

"Be careful."

How?

Why was everything Izaya was saying having such an impact on him?

"What? You think some punny humans can defeat the glorious dragonslayer?" Shizuo found himself boasting before he knew it.

Stop it-

Izaya snorted, "Of course not."

What was he even talking about?

Shaking his head, Shizuo's palm found its way to his lips.

"Tomorrow," he started slowly, and Izaya's curiosity grew.

"The folk wants to get to know their queen," Shizuo explained slowly, remembering how James had reminded him of his new and noble duties. "Would you accompany me?" For some reason Shizuo felt more awkward asking the question than he was supposed to. "Only if you are feeling well enough of course."

Why?

Nothing was wrong with the question.

They were acting as the perfect newly wed couple.

And looking forward to such a trip was just a pleasant side effect.

So why did he feel like he was doing something indecent?

"I will," Izaya answered, and Shizuo felt more delighted than he should, "It's the least I can do as your wife."

An unintentional smile drew upon Shizuo's features.

"You are really taking this seriously aren't you?"

Izaya's smile fell, not much, but a little too far to treat it as nothing. Shizuo wasn't stupid, despite the short distraction his slip up had brought, the duke's visit had shaken Izaya quite a bit.

Confidence brimmed in his voice as he lowered it.

"Izaya, I swear on my life, I will never let him get close to you ever again." Startled at the unexpected declaration, Izaya blinked, before flashing a smile.

"Where did that come from?"

The rattling sound of a wooden door grazing across marble etched into the air and the maid that had gone missing to bring Izaya another layer for the dozen he already wore, appeared in its frame.

"My lady! You are drenched!"

It was Mika.

Not having realized that the weather had turned for the worse she was now looking at her queen, slowly but surely soaking in the rain.

Looking down at his clothes and his barely damp sleeves, Izaya couldn't help but snort.

"It's just water."

Huffing her cheeks Izaya seemed to have chosen the words, worst for this situation as Mika puffed her cheeks.

"No can do!" she announced loudly, and turned into the hallway, "Clairence! We need a fire! And hot water!" she yelled, probably louder than James would have liked her to, but gladly he didn't seem to be in hearing range. "If you would follow my lady, let's get you out of those stuffed clothes!" she announced curtly, before pausing shortly, "Ah- except you want to join?" she asked, and whilst Izaya took a moment to understand the suggestion Shizuo was quicker on the uptake as he stifled a laugh.

A muffled question was shot down the hallways and Mika turned as it had been directed at her from one of the other maids.

"Coming!" And with that she had already slipped back inside the castle- without receiving the answer she sought.

"This girl," Izaya found himself saying as he shook his head with a smile. How could someone be this much of an airhead? Not that it wasn't a likable trait.

"You like her don't you?" Shizuo asked and Izaya shrugged.

"Of course I do. I like them all. Your servants. They care way more than they are supposed to." They felt like family.

Izaya felt like they were his family. It was funny, he had been staying here for a little more than a week and yet he somehow found himself growing fonder than he could have imagined.

A knowing smile was directed at Izaya from Shizuo's direction. "Because you are likable," he announced boldly, and Izaya snorted.

"I can only return that."

"Ah, but one question remains," Shizuo suddenly announced, and Izaya blinked in confusion. "What?"

"Do you mind?" Shizuo asked, and to be honest at that moment Izaya was completely lost as to what they were talking about.

"Do I mind what?" he asked, and mischief spread across Shizuo's expression, suiting him way better than it should.

"Do you mind me joining you?"

With stupidly little effort Izaya realized what Shizuo was talking about and snorted at the suggestion that was totally serious and not inappropriate at all. A hand was extended and pushed lightly at Shizuo's chest as he cocked his head into the direction of the knight's quarters.

"Go find your merchants, idiot."

to be continued~ xD

Aw man I really love making Shizuo mess up his wife's gender xDD The confusion he has to feel must be enormous lmao And it's getting worse the more time he spends with him xDDDD