Chapter 9: Intellect
"I bet I can make you fall for me in ten seconds."
Good heavens, what newspaper did this guy read to learn pick up lines?
"By breathing? Certainly. Toothpaste was invented 1824, you should really try it," Izaya retorted quicker than the guy was able to grasp his words and took a sip of his modified Gin Rickey.
"Come on now, what are my chances to land with you? 10%?"
Izaya wasn't even trying to listen to the guy. But it was hard to ignore someone basically sitting at your throat.
His eyes trailed back to the part of the counter that allowed for entrance, as the bartender finally returned from his inquiry.
A short glance, probably under a second, was cast towards Izaya's newest admirer and Izaya realized with a newfound hint that the bartender was curious about the guy hitting on him.
Smelling a chance of victory he turned towards the waste of human space, willing to entertain the guy for a few minutes if it served his goal.
"What do you have to offer?" Izaya asked, and the guy's eyes lit up in undeniable excitement.
He wasn't even bad looking. The opposite almost.
Well defined muscles protruded from scarce openings on his white shirt and a set of carefully chosen jewelry accentuated the guy's missing hair with ease.
A tattoo climbed its way up his neck and towards the back of his skull.
Whether it was a snake or a dragon wasn't something Izaya could tell from the front.
"Luxury. A fine collection of wine in my basement, a pool on my balcony and a king size bed?" Mr. Probably-thought-he-owned-the-world bragged with every ounce of wealth he held. A winning smile grazed his lips and Izaya hummed. "You just increased your chance by 80%."
A lie. Most obviously. As if Izaya would be impressed by a flat and some wine.
Watching the bartender reach for a large variety of alcohol, ranging from gin to vodka, rum, tequila and orange flavored triple sec he quickly guessed what it was that Shizuo was making, as soon as he pulled coke from the fridge.
The cocktail shaker was filled with ice, and the various fluids along with a sweet and sour mix poured inside. An array of Collin glasses was prepared as smoothly as the lemons that were cut to sets of spirals.
"So we are at 90% now?" Izaya's admirer suddenly asked, snapping Izaya out of his observation as he raised an eyebrow in belittling amusement.
"Are you stupid? That's not how it works. An 80% increase of 10% makes 18%," he declared with the truth of a math professor scolding a child at the board.
The stranger's confidence faltered for the second that it took the bartender to garnish the freshly made long island ice teas with a shot of coke and Izaya watched as he carried the drinks away from the bar.
"So it's 18% now?" the stranger tried again and Izaya smirked as he turned around.
"Nope. Because zero times anything still remains what it always has been. Zero."
Shizuo returned quicker than the guy was able to come up with a retort and Izaya relished in the attention he brought.
Crouching on the floor Shizuo picked up a peel of lemon he had accidentally dropped onto the ground earlier. It was awfully quiet behind the counter and only the words spoken closely were easily perceived.
"Come on babe, you don't hate me, do you?" he heard the guy that was hitting on his virgin wave speak and cringed internally at the new nickname he had given his favorite guest. He hadn't heard much but he definitely noticed the stranger was fighting a lost battle while mixing his drink and so he rose to his feet.
Just in time to hear his virgin wave's response.
"I don't exactly hate you, but if I had water and you were on fire I would drink it."
The unsightly laugh slipping from Shizuo's lips was as much inappropriate as it was genuine and loud.
Shizuo hadn't meant to offend the stranger but upon having even the bartender laugh at his fruitless attempt of trying to hit on someone he seemed to have accidentally but very effectively crushed his spirit.
Wordlessly the guy slipped away from his seat and consequently his virgin wave's side.
Ah.
Glancing towards his virgin wave he was met with a broad grin and not the slightest hint of dissatisfaction.
It was obvious he was more than glad the guy had left but Shizuo quickly cleared his throat nonetheless. "Sorry."
Interrupting a conversation that was not his own was a no go for a bartender and he was sure his guest was aware.
A cheshire smile spread across his virgin wave's expression as he let his elbow lean onto the counter and his chin slipped into his palm. "Don't be."
Glancing towards the dance floor Shizuo searched for the guy he had just scared off, but he was nowhere to be found. "Are you always getting hit on like that?"
The music thrummed and a few sets of beats having been hammering relentlessly smoothened out as even the DJ needed a short break of some sorts.
Appreciating the comparably silent atmosphere, Izaya used his straw to stir his cocktail. "Why do you ask?"
Polishing a set of hurricane glasses the bartender shrugged, "That was the second time. And you seem used to it."
A bit disappointed at the reasoning Izaya was presented with, he sighed, "People like calling in favors. And they think knowing me might get them some."
Amusement grazed the bartender's features along with a healthy dose of doubt.
"I don't think the last guy was looking for benefits," he argued and Izaya's eyes glinted at the insinuation. "I am aware I'm not ugly as the night, no need to flatter me," he quickly argued, thinking the bartender might withdraw his earlier words upon realizing their flattering content.
But he was proven wrong yet again as he merely showed a confident smile.
"Just stating facts."
Wow.
Insecurity was a word this bartender needed to look up first in order to understand its meaning it seemed.
"You think I'm attractive?" Izaya asked, pushing the borders further. A short pause followed, awfully neutral and void of hints to take as the bartender turned and picked up a new glass.
Izaya hadn't even realized he had finished his drink, nor had he noticed the bartender preparing another one until he slid it over with a light smile grazing his lips.
"I would lie if I said no."
Astonishment came in many forms, but Izaya had yet to discover one as pleasant as this. Blinking shortly he looked at the beverage he had been served.
The color had changed, the shape of the glass too. It was a hurricane styled vessel, serving an orange twist of ice cubes. The apple cider vinegar and tonic water behind the counter gave away that the bartender was trying to imitate the taste of vodka without using alcohol and Izaya couldn't quite hold back a smile as he looked at what appeared to be a virgin version of a screwdriver.
He was used to receiving compliments and even more words of flattery. But something about the honesty the bartender's attitude carried served a pleasant note to the usual sweet talk.
Taking a sip of his newly served drink he showed an appreciative nod.
"That one is on the house," the bartender informed curtly and Izaya raised a brow.
"It's your third day and you are already handing out freebies? Does your boss know?" he joked, but as usual the bartender didn't seem fazed at all by the upbringing of authority and merely smiled with the wild confidence of someone who owned the place.
"What boss?" he replied, too serious to be joking and Izaya laughed, "Not my problem I guess, thanks for the invitation then."
"You aren't going to ask why you got one?" the bartender asked, and Izaya knew from the way he looked at him that he was actually trying to playfully flirt. Of course backed with no serious motivation or anything of that sort.
They were having fun. Just as the two previous nights before.
And despite Izaya's urge to join the game he was being served, he suddenly felt more inclined to dive into deeper topics.
"It's because I cheered you up, right?"
The effect of his words didn't take long to show on the bartender's expression as he stilled in the midst of his motion.
He had been in the middle of reaching for another glass, but halted midway. It was just a second of surprise. Almost looking like a lag midgame, until his motion resumed and Izaya found himself wondering whether he had overstepped a line.
He had obviously hit the nail on the head, but was he supposed to?
He was a simple guest, meant to order drinks and disappear.
The bartender, just that, a bartender, meant to serve drinks.
Meddling with personal affairs could very well backfire and ruin any chance he had to discover more about this guy and he was aware of that.
Bone crushing silence filled the short space between the two and the music that the DJ had previously sombered down picked its fast pace back up.
Stirring his cocktail in a moment of contemplation, Izaya tried to think of a set of words that could defuse the tension.
Usually he couldn't give less of a crap, but right now?
He was awfully curious.
After what felt like an entire millenia passing by, the bartender finally sighed and met Izaya's eyes.
"That obvious?"
Relief of a kind of magnitude that Izaya wouldn't want to show nor to admit to himself doused the tension in his body and he cast a careful smile. Something about this bartender made him feel like he was walking in the midst of a tundra across a freshly frozen river whose surface had just cracked.
"Just to me," he answered truthfully and added a careful pause as he slithered across the ice. "What happened, got your paycheck and a few zeros went missing? I could talk to the owner." He paired his answer with a joke and the bartender seemed to appreciate the way he diluted the heavy mood.
"I appreciate the idea, but that's not it."
No further information followed. And with no further intel, there was no further conversation. Refusing to let their words die like that, Izaya brought his voice forth once more.
"Want to go into detail?"
The question was one Shizuo had feared, and yet the way his virgin wave phrased it put it into a different light.
He was offering, not demanding.
A fine, but distinct difference and an action that Shizuo appreciated more than he was willing to admit.
He was keeping his distance at just the range he preferred and Shizuo couldn't help but smile.
"Nah, I'm fine now," he answered, and only upon speaking did he realize the truth of his words.
The heavy mood he had been carrying had disappeared, ever since he had heard his virgin wave insult his latest admirer in the most amusing way. And so he hummed before meeting his favorite guest's eyes. "Not only due to your efforts."
The sweet taste of victory claimed Izaya's tongue as he smirked.
"First class distraction right at your service. With me around you won't have time to think about anything else."
Shizuo had already noticed the confidence his virgin wave seemed to carry in spades, but this was the first time he found it directed at him and it caused him to chuckle.
It was by chance that he glanced past his guest's shoulders and into the crowd that was moving their bodies on the dancefloor.
A few men were looking over. A woman too. Their target of attention was obvious and Shizuo found himself more curious than he should.
"Why is it only men that hit on you?"
Not noticing the stares, but aware of his position, Izaya merely shrugged at the question. He had followed the bartender's eyes and could tell without needing to look that he had probably spotted a new set of individuals trying to get on Izaya's good side. "Rumors say I'm gay and most people tend to believe that."
Turning his gaze away from the crowd and back to Izaya the bartender blinked.
"So you aren't?"
Humored by the sudden interest in Izaya's sexual orientation, he noted the question down as one he deserved. After all, he had been meddling with the bartender's personal business first. Equality was the only way to respond if he still wanted to find out more and so he shrugged.
"I couldn't care less what's dangling between their feet or not," he answered truthfully and pointed towards his head. "At the end of the day this is what matters more."
A second of contemplation followed on the bartender's part.
"Intellect?" he asked, and Izaya's lips curled into an involuntary smile. "I'm glad you didn't say personality."
Wiping the glass the bartender had been wiping dry he unexpectedly nodded to Izaya's declaration and spoke. "You want to be on an even level and not have to explain every action you take, I get that."
A glint of surprise flashed past Izaya's eyes.
He had expected a response.
But not an insight as accurate as this.
"Few do," he agreed, serving a compliment in disguise as the bartender's expression showed one of appreciation.
"If it's intellect you are searching for, look no further."
Loud, boisterous and uninvited the sentence was thrown between the two parties like a freshly hunted piece of rotten flesh. Black and blue merged on a suit of status and obsession as every piece of garment, jewelry and fabric sat just right in the places they were supposed to be.
The sleek smile of a guy older than Izaya by at least twenty years, served a generous portion of disgust. Annoyance must have been written across Izaya's face by having his conversation interrupted by a stranger and the guy fiddled with his wallet.
"Preston Cole," he announced proudly, and extended a card showing his credentials and set of contacts.
to be continued~
Yo~ Sorry for skipping a weeks updates xD I ended up getting sick for the entire week C': It sucks to have fever when it's already way too hot lmao fuck hell's season, I want winter xDD Anyway~ here we are, I got almost everything except SD, but no worries that one will get an update next week again xD