#once izaya stops trying to drown shizuo

[lavenderboneswrites]

Siren Izaya x pirate captain Shizuo, any headcannons other than it being like the little mermaid but gay and darker.

Oooh oh ooohhhh ! Okay let me preface this with saying I absolutely LOVE everything and anything to do with pirates! One Piece, Black Sails, AC Black Flag (the greatest AC game ever), Pirates of the Caribbean, Treasure Planet, Treasure Island (the book), Muppets Treasure Island. Seriously anything that has pirates? Sign me the fuck up because I am a slut for that shit. If ya'll have any good pirate shows/books please rec me because I will devour that like the kraken devours ships. Just everything to do with pirates, the aesthetics, the language, the big ships, the clothes, the tales, sailing the seas and having adventures. The idea of freedom and fighting against authority. *Mwuah* chef's kiss.

Alright, now that's out of the way I have to admit @scrambledshizaya and me have discussed a Disney The Little Mermaid au at length. Mostly just imaging merman Prince Izaya loving humans and being fascinated by them and longing to be 'part of their world'. Shizuo is of course Prince Eric and I love the thought of Shinra as Sebastian.

Anyway for a darker, pirate version. Yohohoho oh boy I gotta stop from making this just pirate shizaya. Okay so pirate captain Shizuo. He definitely would be considered a beast of the seas, a terrifying pirate with an incredibly high bounty with stories of terror and mystery surrounding him. Did he defeat the Kraken? Who knows? (I can see Shizuo wrestling the Kraken barehanded and yeeting it into the neighbouring sea). Anyway, there’s the tale of his battle with the great siren. Pirates, like sailors, are incredibly superstitious and the legend of siren’s bewitching men and luring them to Davy Jones’s locker is well known.

Izaya is one of these mythical creatures, obsessed with bewitching human’s with his beauty, words, and above all his siren call. However he loves humans and sometimes will forget to actually kill them cause he’s too busy just talking to them. Most actually die from their own stupidity (trying to fight a siren in open water is not a smart move), and really that makes Izaya pout cause he wasn’t done playing. (I imagine siren Izaya kind of like a mermaid but with a leopard shark tail and a bit more murky and dark, with vicious claws and shark like teeth (just imagine his wide lil grin with all those teeth omg bb). (I don’t know a whole heap about siren’s to be honest).

One night at sea, snow falls like infinity around the ship and Shizuo hears the siren’s call. He takes a harpooning boat out to investigate, going alone as the rest of his crew are much too frightened. Izaya swims up to him, very interested in this strange, unafraid human. Shizuo just grins as he spots him, thinking he’s never seen such a pretty prize before.

And Shizuo is the one human who is not affected by Izaya and that makes him incredibly annoyed. Shizuo just captures him in a net and Izaya is hissing like a little drowned housecat. A siren is a fine pet for the King of Pirates after all.

[ilovejuuzou]

Food-related HCs for Durarara cast?

im sorry if this isnt what you're asking for, im not entirely sure what this means so im just doing some general headcanons abt the cast and their eating habits + the like

when the van gang isnt at russia sussia, i like to think that saburo sometimes begrudgingly invites them into his apartment for dinner

they're all tired of eating his spaghetti but he doesnt know how to make anything else and no one else is gonna make any offers

but if that doesnt happen then erika and walker probably dip to go to some cafe to drink tea + eat sandwiches

that's when kyohei and saburo get fast food that they absolutely do not eat in the van (yes they do)

shizuo isnt like the rest of us in our early twenties and by that i mean he doesnt have to rely on his anger and nicotine addiction to satisy his hunger.

"what else could possibly sustain shizuo heiwajima?" you ask?

tom tanaka.

tom is the ULTIMATE dad friend and he doesn't even try.

90% of the time they're eating out and there's no WAY tom will settle for fast food bc it upsets his stomach, so he'll pick somewhere nicer (probably some casual dining) and then pick up the bill because "i picked where we would eat, i can't make you pay."

but sometimes tom gets this,,,, uncontrollable urge to,,,,, pack a lunch,,,,, and then another lunch,,,,, and then suddenly him and shizuo are eating a balogna sandwiches with carrots, a fruit cup, and not one but TWO string cheeses.

so needless to say, shizuo is eating much better than the rest of his peers.

like shinra, for example, lives off of TV dinners and celty just fucking lets him.

and don't even get me started on izaya

dear lord

cereal, cereal, some fancy food place bc he happened to be out, cereal, cereal, more cereal, cereal again, cereal, fatty tuna DROWNING in soy sauce, cereal, a fistful of candy, cereal

he's malnourished for sure but with all that milk his bones are shizuo proof (until theyre not)

mikado and anri are both very particular when it comes to their diet and they both have secret meal plans for the week to make sure they get the recommended amount of vitamins and calories they need to grow up big and strong

anri definitely stays on the more veggie friendly route and would opt out of carbohydrates for more greens. it's more expensive, sure, but its easy on her figure™

but mikado is a bread fiend and inhales two two loaves of bread a week, if not more. it's both filling and cheap, so its a win win for him.

but it's never once occured to masaomi that he can budget his income so that he doesnt starve for at least a day or two before payday (hes secretly been trying to figure out how mikado goes home to cook dinner EVERY night).

by the time his check comes in, hes been dying for something more than school lunches for DAYS so right off the bat he'll drop all sorts of cash on so much russia sushi his stomach will hurt, and a lot of the time hell pay for anri and mikado too. after that its all impulse buys and conviently ignoring the value menu and then BAM hes broke again.

hes not he only financially unstable, womanizing maniac we know with this problem, because rocchi is there too

but unlike poor masaomi, rocchi has loving and supportive girlfriends that happily offer homecooked meals without ever even considering the possibility that their rocchi is broke-hi

and while we're on the topic of overly devoted girlfriends, lets talk about THE overly devoted girlfriend: mika harima.

mika, who eats like a queen, and seiji, who eats like a king, and also namie, who eats like a coma patient.

theyre all very fortunate in the financial department and even though namie is the most fortunate of all, she doesnt eat for pleasure but rather just to make her stomach shut the hell up so izaya will stop pointing it out.

its not that she doesnt want to eat its just that she genuinely, from the bottom of her heart, does not give a single fuck about her own well-being and so food rarely crosses her mind

im gonna stop it there bc i realized i cant do the "read more" thing on mobile, but i hope you like it! and if you dont then oops i had fun anyways and i still love you xoxo

[justmysicklypride]

pls, I ask for number 18 from the misc section sdofinsdf

Muzuki my darling <3 I went with a really unconventional plot for this idk why and my only regret is how much I had to shorten it so that it didn’t take up too much dash space lmAO hope you enjoy

(Pairing: Shizaya) (Warnings: murder, implied sexual content)

Bombs Away

In hindsight, Izaya supposed it really would be too easy if they’d just given him the target and told him to get on with it, but sometimes he’d like to think that maybe Shiki-san had a sense of humour. Somewhere in there, maybe, though even Izaya wasn’t entirely sure where the humour currently lies in this present situation.

“I still can’t believed they hired a babysitter for me,” Izaya lamented for the billionth time as he propped his chair on its two back legs, and watched as said ‘babysitter’ skillfully set up his sniper rifle against the window of the vacated apartment building they were in. 

“Babysitter, my ass. Like hell if I have time to take care of some stupid brat and do my job at the same time,” Shizuo snapped at him, but his eye was focused on looking through the scope to line up the shot. Izaya heard him mutter underneath his breath, “I can’t believe they’re making me do this again.”

“Well okay then, Heiwajima-senpai,” Izaya said, almost sarcastically. “Then do pray tell why exactly we’re hiding out in an apartment and shooting someone in the head in broad daylight where the police could very obviously trace the flight path of the bullet back to us?”

“Shut up,” Shizuo said, readjusting the gloves on his hands and looking back into the scope. “It’s none of your business.” He brought his finger down to the trigger.

“Huh? I thought Heiwajima-senpai was meant to be mentoring me,” Izaya said, annoyed that he was being brushed off but amused all the same. His new senpai had a short temper and an incredible amount of strength, and somehow Izaya can’t tell whether they’ll actually get along or not.

“I am,” Shizuo replied, and for just one second Izaya almost admired just how calm Shizuo was as he fired with no hesitation. 

A gunshot sounded through the air, and Izaya’s ears started ringing. Screams tore through the streets as people started frantically running and shouting for help. Shizuo didn’t even need to check whether he’d died or not. Apparently, it was a given. 

“Lesson one - don’t ask unnecessary questions that could get yourself into trouble,” Shizuo finished, as he started to take off his gloves.

///

One thing led to another, and just over a month later, Izaya found himself sitting next to Shizuo in some weird sushi place that had an affinity for Russian customs. Apparently it was a semi-popular place to eat at, regardless of time of day, and that they’d been around for quite a long time. He saw three high school students walk past them to sit in a booth, and Izaya briefly wondered what it would’ve been like if he grew up here instead of Shinjuku, if he and Shizuo would end up meeting each other under those circumstances as well. 

They weren’t exactly friends per se, merely coworkers that just decided to grab lunch together. It was fine, Izaya supposed, but appreciated it all the same when Shizuo mentioned how he’d dared his friend to swallow an entire pot of the complementary wasabi once and they all ended up having to stay back an extra three hours to help the owners clean up all the throw-up that resulted from it. 

(“You would think that he’d say no, given that his dad was a doctor and all, but sometimes he really is just as dumb as a sack of bricks.”)

///

Shizuo’s hands were warm wrapped around his. Izaya couldn’t help but look at the way their hands fit together, albeit the fact that Izaya was in turn holding the grip of a pistol and that they were meant to be doing practice rounds. He reluctantly drew his eyes away from their hands to look at the human shaped target in front of them, Shizuo’s instructions that had previously been drowned out by Izaya’s daydreaming slowly resurfacing.

“Were you even listening, Izaya-kun?” Shizuo said, and Izaya refrained from jolting in surprise when he felt more than heard Shizuo’s voice so close next to his ear.

“Ah- yeah,” Izaya stumbled. He cleared his throat.

“Okay, good,” Shizuo said, after a beat of silence. Slowly, Shizuo let go of Izaya’s hands. “Here, you try firing now.”

Izaya nodded absentmindedly, both of them putting their earmuffs on as Izaya pulled the safety switch, then the trigger; firing a shot that hit the target straight in the head, though it was a bit wonky so he fired again. At least his ears have gotten used to the sound. He fired a third round and missed the heart by a few centimetres.

“Your hands are shaking,” Shizuo commented, and Izaya grit his teeth. 

///

“I’ve never asked you why you decided to become a hitman, Shizuo-senpai,” Izaya said one day, crouched on the ground and squinting against the ray of sunlight that hit Shizuo’s dyed hair in a way that reflected something akin to a halo around him.

The target, or rather the corpse, that Izaya just stabbed to death laid motionless and propped against the wall of the alleyway, as Shizuo looked up from his phone and frowned. 

“I guess I did it because the opportunity was there and I took it,” Shizuo shrugged, glancing down at the screen again. He was probably contacting the clean-up crew. “Why did you?”

He wondered if this man he just killed had a family, friends, or even someone who sees him often enough that his disappearance would actually make a dent in society, where him no longer existing would impact those around him in some sort of elaborate ripple effect that somehow even Izaya got tangled up in, even for just a small moment. Izaya laughed.

“Why does anyone do anything? If this is how we all end up in the end,” Izaya said, and Shizuo merely watched with a small frown.

He didn’t say anything to that.

///

“Are you proud of me, senpai?” Izaya asked, eagerly hopping into the passenger seat of the car that was parked in front of the Awakusu-kai headquarters. He waved the envelope in his hand towards Shizuo, the inside of which stacked full of cash from his latest job well done, and the phone in his pocket buzzed once, twice, with new lists and new names of people Izaya had to ‘take care of’.

Shizuo lit a cigarette and Izaya knew that his reasons for not lowering the window was partly because the last thing they needed was someone overhearing their conversation, but mostly just to piss Izaya off. At first, yeah, maybe it did annoy Izaya more than a little bit, but it’s been countless of months now since they first met and maybe Izaya had gotten just that little bit more used to the burning sensation that cigarette smoke always left on his nose. Shizuo started the car, and Izaya told him where to drop him off.

“Don’t ask stupid questions, flea,” Shizuo said, eventually. “You still can’t lift a sniper rifle on your own, and I doubt even your knife throwing skills can reach past two blocks in the span of three seconds.”

“That’s true,” Izaya hummed. Then, he turned to meet Shizuo’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “But I guess that’s what I have Shizu-chan for, huh?”

///

(Some more months later and Izaya found himself back in that car again. Only this time it was in the back seat, and Shizuo was on top of him, making him feel all these amazing sensations that Izaya couldn’t even begin to describe, and using nothing more than a mouth and a hand underneath his shirt, managed to undo any shred of uncertainty that Izaya might’ve had. He doesn’t think he’s ever been so sure in his life.

It was messy when they started, and it was messy when they finished, Izaya’s voice hoarse and Shizuo only barely having enough energy and willpower left to get up and start the engine, so that they could both go home and have a shower.)

///

Then, one day, “You should quit.” 

Izaya hummed as he lowered his mug of tea away from his face, and he felt Shizuo loosen his arms that were around Izaya’s waist so he could put in on the coffee table in front of them. 

“And why’s that, Shizu-chan?” Izaya asked. He felt Shizuo’s hand entwine with his and he turned to look up at him.

“It’s not good for you,” Shizuo said with a shrug. “And besides, I found out why you did it.”

Izaya tensed, looking away. “Yeah?” he said, and Shizuo’s thumb started rubbing circles on his hand so maybe he’ll loosen up. “Well, I kinda doubt you did, really-”

“You hate yourself, don’t you?” Shizuo asked- stated, bluntly. He didn’t know how to respond so Shizuo continued, “I thought as much. Killing people isn’t your thing, you’re only doing it because for some weirdly stupid reason, you feel the need to punish yourself by doing the things you hate the most as some equally dumb way of making up for it.”

A laugh. “I can’t believe you’re making me deal with this right now,” Izaya said.

“You have to, eventually,” Shizuo said. 

“Yeah, well, I’m too sober for this. Especially right now,” Izaya said. A lame attempt at a joke. 

“You don’t even drink,” Shizuo said. Of course he remembered. “Maybe I should start,” Izaya said. A challenge, but a half-hearted one.

“And defeat the entire purpose we’re even having this conversation in the first place?” Shizuo looked at him like he was stupid. He probably was. Hell, he probably looked stupid too, being called out like this. “Just think about it at least,” Shizuo said.

Izaya couldn’t word out a yes, his lack thereof conscience would probably kill him for it, so he simply nodded, closing his eyes as Shizuo smiled before leaning in to kiss him.

They pulled apart when Shizuo’s phone started beeping - naturally, a new job, and Shizuo stood up to get changed in their joint bedroom. Before he went upstairs, however, Izaya stopped him.

“Wait,” he said, chewing his lip. “If I really do stop… What will I do, then?” Shizuo looked at him thoughtfully, one leg perched on the next step up with no intention of rushing, despite another urgent beep of his phone.

Finally, he said, “I don’t know, but I mean, you like humans don’t you?” Shizuo said, like he was thinking out loud. “And you’re good at research.” Another beep, and Shizuo shrugged, “I heard they’re looking for a new informant.”

[demytasse]

[Shizaya] Coping Mechanism — Ch 5

[Previous Chapter]

    Izaya wasn’t a hot-blooded individual, he only mimicked one — merely caught up in the moment it was hardly a permanent detriment to his nature. It's just that he was currently hot and bothered, both mind and body struck with fever.

An overactive imagination compromised his chill composure as all his attention was drawn to the bathroom which hid a scene he could only pretend that he witnessed. Warmed ceramic cradled in his hands, overheated brew burned his throat; polyester-wrapped cushions redirected his body heat up onto him, an old flame barely separated by drywall yet completely exposed — Izaya could not keep cool.

              “Mind if I join, hot stuff?”

              “Only if you drop the shitty puns.”

Honestly it was the simple things Izaya remembered the most, what he missed more than the sex, but //clearly he was not without those lusty thoughts. Due to circumstance, one beat out the other as an obvious winner.

    “What a selfish beast he can be... probably doesn't even know that he’s a tease…”

The shower ran stifling as Shizuo was wont to run it which created a blanket of humidity inside the tight quarters while an extension of its steamy forcefield billowed into the living room. Although he couldn’t see it, Izaya knew how the suds further censored the attractive man in the shower, its attempts failed as soap slid over muscle to his feet. Izaya remembered the way Shizuo looked, though not the way he felt beneath his own fingertips. He remembered the way his own curves were felt up, but not the actual touch of Shizuo’s carefully rough caress. Memories recalled the initial chill of water, but couldn't reenact how heated the droplets became after they hit their skin; how the smell of retired deodorant and cologne washed away all distractions — how oddly sweet and hypnotising their sweat could be while its misty remnants swirled their bodies. Izaya distinctly remembered the satisfying burn of shampoo when it seeped through his ill-sealed eyes, what slipped beyond his own smirk while the two paused to drown in air; the sweet-nothings, crude compliments, the spoken sputters and spat words, groans and giggles, frantic and hungry touches...they were all painfully arousing to his senses and only his resolve prevented Izaya from adding himself to the scene; easily change the teen appropriate content to something R-rated.

              “It's good clean fun, hm?”

              “That’s what you call our showers?”

              “It's an idiom, Shizuo.”

              “So you would mind breakin’ it then…”

              “You know, just because we’re in the shower doesn’t change the fact that your thoughts are ‘dirty’.”

Of course their showers were hardly successful — they were an excuse to feel alright about jacking up the water bill, an expenditure that was satisfying enough to split dessert once in awhile, not like Izaya ever needed to worry about that sort of monetary slipup. Under the sensual effects of those moments it was fun to pretend that they were two living in financial poverty while rich in love. And now Izaya found himself in bankruptcy with an overabundant desire to spend beyond his budget.

That's what drove him to crack the door, curse as he remembered the shower stall was beyond visibility from that viewpoint. The mirror also a wash all hazy and ineffective, barely even a blurry form upon it. Frustrated he gave up, turned away while he tugged the door behind him until he heard a low and murmured externalised thought — an echo from within the stall.     “...Izaya…”

It shook him like the rain of discarded water that Shizuo shook from his hair, that to which he glimpsed between the door crack above the hinges.

    “Fuck.”

Izaya thumped his head against the corner door frame, chastised himself and Shizuo for setting him up with such a nuisance to deal with. One glance of the other man with his head hung at his shoulders, affected by his own sensations, had Izaya feel like he needed to join in the same act — separate, in secret, but still the same. Auditory cues sent him into his memories, to one in particular and perhaps a twisted favourite of his subconscious.

     His skin had burned red, agitated from the extended spray of the shower head; it was harshest across his shoulders and traced around his blades, stung over the tracks of nails that sliced like knives. Clean cuts were only deep enough to balance out the soft attention that pathed around his abdomen. A half-drenched mop even with the height of Izaya's waist while Shizuo's eyes stayed out of view, not as though it weren’t easy to read his intent without having access to facial expressions.

    “You have work today.”

    “Yeah…”     “And you’re taking your time.”     “Uhhu.”

    “You’re not leaving enough time for yourself.”     “Then make it up to me later, Izaya, just shut up.”

    “How bothersome, planned sex is such a travesty to the whole act.”

    “For fuck’s sake.”

Izaya had to hand it to Shizuo on occasion, he could be swift in motion, a flash strategist when need be. Unpredictability — the highest high that Izaya could extract from any moment, but especially from Shizuo's actions.

Within a second Shizuo towered over him once again, the next moment Izaya felt tile grout imprint instantaneous bruises at his kneecaps; and even though he knew what the implied course of action was, it was still exhilarating to look up and feign sweet naivete and wait for direction from Shizuo.

    “I guess I’ll...make it up to you later, louse.” Izaya grinned, tickled that his partner could get so flustered over others wanting to please him; clearly it was Shizuo who was more in desperate need of a release anyway. Izaya shook his head while he played it off as trying to discard excess water from his bangs.

    “I’ll hold you to that, Shizu-chan”

It was anticipation that often made Shizuo shudder, sometimes more than the sexual favour itself. He was just that intune with his instincts, feelings, and the moment — just a tease along the underside of his shaft riled him intensely, the intentionally slow buildup to his tip was on par with a low key climax.

The drawn out ministrations went on longer than needed, but it was a treat, something that Izaya could get off on simply by observing Shizuo while he was entranced by the atmosphere; how ecstatic he was, eyes widened at the increasing pulse. Jaw slack, he stuttered guttural words, braced himself against the shower wall with a suction grip that almost broke the tile. And with a light rake of teeth that ended with Izaya's tongue play, it dialed up the sensation as the slit was given explicit attention; Shizuo nearly did the same damage to the floor with his curled toes as he did the wall as he restrained from premature release. He wanted to extract everything he could from Izaya’s efforts.

He seemed blinded of all reality yet intensely aware of his partner. Paid Izaya his gratitude, who hid his face while he bobbed forward and back between without eye contact, shielded away so he couldn’t confirm who grasped his hips firm fingertips, took only a solo knee while the other rest against his calve as if any amount of contact wasn’t enough — as if there were any confusion of what man applied his skilled tongue. Shizuo stroked from the crest of Izaya's bowed head, around the outside of his ear in order to trace what he could of Izaya's cheek; sensual appreciation and a sincere //'thank you’. It made Izaya cum after the arduous stroke of his own erection that he could hardly focus on while he worked at the job he did for Shizuo.

    It was a struggle to restrain himself from whipping the door open, forgetting to strip his clothes and ask for that returned favour that he was promised so long ago. Slam Shizuo against the wall to make him snarl, smile with relief that he was still desired. But what cemented Izaya’s feet, what prevented him from doing much more than kneading his palm over his crotch, was ruined when he recalled the tragedy that had indebted Shizuo in the first place.

                “Was that good enough for you, sweetie?”

                “You're ruining the moment.”

                “Aw, how am I ruining the moment, sugar-tits?”

                “Ugh, you know how.”

                “Alright, alright. I'll stop…Shizu-chan.”

                “Fuckin’ brat…”

                “See you have nicknames for me too, sweet cheeks.”

                “Ugh, I shouldn't wanna marry such an annoying pest.”

                “...excuse me?”

Izaya stopped as the scene came back to haunt him at the most inopportune moment.

                “Ah, well... I thought of ways...the best time to ask...I just...nothing felt right yet...”

                “You think this is something you spring up out of nowhere, without consulting me first? Like a rigged proposal flash mob where everyone's in on it including one being proposed to? A cheap way of pressure me into saying yes?”

                “The hell is a flash mob?”

                “Shizuo that's not the point.”

                “What is it then!?”

                “You're not ready for marriage.”

Izaya forgot that he held his coffee until the mug dropped at his feet. The shock killed his desires upon crash of ceramic.

    “Hey! Izaya...you out there? You alright?”

Squeaks, thumps, the slide of a glass door caused Izaya to panic.

                “The fact you were thinking about how you would propose rather than if I would even say yes tells me that. How you’re still too selfish for a partnership.”

                “...ah...right.”

Izaya ditched the mess he made and bolted for the door; he scrambled over the couch instead of rounding the obstacle. Forgetting his coat and extraneous phones he left on the counter, he only snagged his shoes before he struggled with slide locks and deadbolts that used to be easier to undo.

    “Goddammit, you better not leave, asshole!”

Izaya peeked over his shoulder, noticed that Shizuo barely tied a towel around his waist like he knew he didn't have the time to dress in anything else.

    “Sorry,” Izaya wavered.

A salute and a door slam preceded his dash to the elevator, conveniently a crack away from shutting; he managed to slip on by and cushion his momentous collision with the back wall.

Izaya rammed his head on the surface, breathed all too heavily to calm his panic. Only then did he notice a mature older lady to his left who was shockingly tempered, like she long knew of Shizuo's chaos; he made sure to flash an apologetic smile regardless.

As the lobby neared, he slipped on his shoes, forgot about the laces and prepared to bolt.

              “You won't even move in with me, like you're intimidated by my success?”

              “...well...”

              “You're preoccupied by the romance, Shizuo, not as if we even have much of it.”

              “You finished?”

              “Not especially, no, but I think you want me to be.”

Izaya struggled a final breath as the doors opened. He took long strides through the space, but halted in terror. At the stairway exit stood his ornery ex, loosely wearing his trademark parka as some sad attempt to cover more of his decency.

    “That apology upstairs wasn't what I wanted, louse!” He didn’t even huff, was barely short of breath, just spoke clearly with a commanding bellow.

    “I know,” Izaya nodded, shrugged with a pained smile. “Sorry,” he directed his word towards the puzzled couple shoved in the corner in clutch of the other.

    “Neither was that! How obnoxious can you get!?”

Izaya faced the street entrance, a fraction of pride in his posture, though his legs still refused to progress; stationary, he continued to trigger the automated doors to open after their close. While paralysed he fiddled with a small item — his hand dangled at his hip; polished and unmarred, a piece of jewelry was spun around in contemplation, consolation. It was something he hadn’t worn nor held earlier.

    “You’re such a coward. Don’t know why I thought it’d be any different when you showed up.”

    “Well,” Izaya pocketed the item, replaced it with his cellphone, “you are an idiot.”

He gained confidence from the snide cover and walked off — to his satisfaction Shizuo let him go. Just outside he let go of his breath.

    “I screwed up again, Shizu-chan. Honestly, I’m sorry.”

[tickles-tea]

4 a.m.

This is just complete fluff. I'm sorry 

"Shizu-chan..."

Shizuo jolted awake at the sound of an exhausted, and oddly soft, voice. Turning his head to the side, he was met with the half-lidded eyes and lopsided smirk of Orihara Izaya.

He frowned in confusion at their position. Just a second ago, Shizuo had been reclining against the headboard of the bed while he was waiting for Izaya to finish up his-rather unsavory-work. Now though, Shizuo was laying on his side, face partially buried in Izaya's too soft pillows and staring into deep russet eyes.

I didn't even hear him come in. Goddamn sneaky flea..! Shizuo thought, a crease forming between his brows.

Izaya suddenly laughed, startling his companion slightly. "Of course you didn't hear me come in, Shizu-chan! You were soundly asleep and snoring like a beast," he said, amusement clear in his tone. Izaya's comment made Shizuo realize that he had accidentally spoken his thoughts aloud, though he didn't particularly care.

He was slightly surprised to find that Izaya's words hadn't ignited even the smallest spark of anger in his chest. It seemed that he was too tired to get annoyed over a remark so trivial, which was something he was secretly grateful for. After all, it was rather discouraging to succumb to the anger he hated so much because of something as stupid as an offhand comment.

Shizuo's gaze shifted to Izaya's mouth to see the insufferable smirk that he had been expecting despite his sleep muddled thoughts. He dazedly noticed that the left corner of Izaya's lips curled upwards whenever he displayed this particular expression. However, there was something odd about it. The main difference he noted was the overall air of this sly smile. Usually, his grins were sharp and deadly, a threat and a promise at the same time. The expression he wore now seemed somewhat softer. Shizuo thought it might be the dark circles that hung beneath Izaya's eyes or maybe even the little indents on either side of his nose from his reading glasses. Shizuo wasn't able to determine the cause of this change before he felt a sharp tug on his hair.

Startled out of his observation, Shizuo blinked his eyes back into focus to see Izaya frowning. He looked like he was on the verge of being annoyed but was too tired to fully commit to the feeling. Continued silence from Shizuo prompted Izaya to speak up again. "Shizu-chan?"

Another, slightly harder, pull on his hair successfully awoke Shizuo from his dazed stupor. "I was asleep?" He grumbled, bringing a hand up to try to rub the lingering sleep from his eyes. Izaya let out a hum and nodded; the frown from before had eased and amusement danced in his eyes in place of the irritation. A thin hand gently carded through Shizuo's hair, as if in silent apology for the tugging from before.

Shizuo sighed and leaned into the touch. Being with Izaya meant harsh words, charming excuses, and sometimes even silence for days on end. But it also meant blinding smiles, thoughtful surprises, and the love that Shizuo thought he'd never experience. Izaya trusted him in a way no one else could and, because of that, Shizuo was willing to deal with the good and the bad sides of Izaya. 

This included his ability to stay up until the ass crack of dawn.

"You know you don't have to wait up for me, right? I told you I wouldn't be done for a few more hours," Izaya said, closing his eyes with a quiet sigh. "Tsukumoya was being more difficult than usual, so it took even longer than I anticipated."

Izaya's fingers were tracing random patterns through Shizuo's hair and Shizuo's face was one of peace and contentment. That expression, however, was replaced in favor of one with much more aggression. "Ah? He made you stay up 'till three-"

"Four," Izaya quickly corrected.

"'Til four in the morning," Shizuo continued, frowning even harder than before. "I don't care if he's a UI or whatever-"

"AI."

"I'll kill him," he said definitively and with a short nod. No one had the right to make Izaya get even less sleep than he normally did. They'd gotten into arguments about Izaya's ridiculous sleep schedule before, and though they always ended with tired glares and waining patience on both ends, Shizuo still tried his damnedest to make sure Izaya got at least five hours of uninterrupted sleep. If Shizuo remembered correctly, Izaya had a client coming over at seven in the morning and the flea always woke up well before his meetings.

What all of that means is that Izaya was probably already thinking about saying to hell with it and not sleeping at all, which was absolutely unacceptable.

"I can tell what you're thinking, and it's not that big of a deal. I can just take a nap after my client leaves and I'll be well rested before my meeting with Shiki-san," Izaya said breezily, moving his caressing fingers from Shizuo's hair to behind his ear. He knew that if he didn't diffuse this now it could lead to a fight, even if it'd only be a small one. "Shizu-chan is getting worked up too easily. Hey, I wonder if I can calm him down like a dog..." he mumbled to himself before scratching behind Shizuo's ear gently. "Dogs like having their ears scratched so maybe beasts do too."

Izaya, likely expecting a growl, was surprised when his action instead prompted a twitch and a gasp. He was even more baffled to see the glimpse of a smile curling at the sides of Shizuo's mouth.

Being as clever as he was, Izaya caught on rather quickly and adopted a grin that promised nothing but trouble. Shizuo could practically feel the mischief radiating off of him in waves. "Is Shizu-chan a bit ticklish here? How cute!" Izaya laughed, snickering even more when he saw Shizuo's blushing face.

Not nearly as amused, Shizuo reached up and firmly grasped the laughing bastard's wrist. "Shut up and go to sleep." He settled himself back into the pillow and, perhaps foolishly, released Izaya's wrist. He hoped that his boyfriend would behave himself and see that they both needed to sleep. While it was understandable for one's judgement to be impaired late at night, anyone in any state of mind should know that Izaya Orihara should not be trusted.

So really, he shouldn't have been so surprised when Izaya reached out again to skitter his fingers from behind Shizuo's ear down to his collarbone.

Shizuo jerked back, but Izaya was as quick as ever and moved with him, hands never stopping their motion. They spidered all across his neck, around his ears, and even going as far as his shoulders.

Shizuo couldn't stop the growly chuckles from escaping his lips even if he tried. He didn't see the point in trying to hide his reactions. He'd only look like a fool if he were to deny that he was ticklish. It wasn't something he was particularly ashamed of-after all, Izaya was much worse-but in the face of Izaya's stupid smirk, he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. The bastard almost looked like he was looking down at Shizuo, like he was interacting with a child rather than his own boyfriend. The way he was teasing Shizuo did nothing to show otherwise.

"How pathetic! The strongest man in Ikebukuro is blushing like a schoolgirl! How does it feel when I touch here? Does it tickle?" Izaya was surely purring out more taunts, but Shizuo tried to drown them out with his own interjections of insults.

"Knock it off, you shihihitty flea!" He barked out around his laughter, trying to keep a grip on Izaya's wrists that wasn't too strong nor too loose. He'd instinctively reached up to still those terrible hands, but he'd managed to stop himself from pulling them away. There was no doubt in his mind that he was more than capable of putting a stop to this, and judging from the puzzled glint in Izaya's eye, he knew the same.

So why wasn't he?

It certainly couldn't have anything to do with the genuine contentment he could see in Izaya's eyes or the soft smile that was slowly replacing that intolerable smirk. Surely, Izaya was leeching the strength from his body with some sort of dark magic.

That dark magic must have been sapping Izaya's own strength, because his wiggling fingers slowed and settled themselves across Shizuo's nape. When Shizuo looked at his face, he saw flushed cheeks and an embarrassed pout.

"...'Zaya?" he questioned once he'd caught his breath, but his boyfriend remained quiet.

The only response he received was the blanket being tugged away as Izaya turned his body, his back now facing Shizuo. Shizuo's brow twitched in annoyance at being so clearly ignored, but Izaya spoke up then. "Stupid Shizu-chan has no right making faces like that."

"What are you talking about?" Shizuo asked, a little irritated at Izaya's sudden mood change. He knew what he was getting into when he confessed to Izaya all those years ago, but time has not made it any easier to deal with him. No amount of time would make it easier, he was sure.

A muffled groan sounded from Izaya's side of the bed. Blush having faded for the most part, Izaya looked over his shoulder at Shizuo with a weak glare. "You're so oblivious, it's exhausting," he said, opening his mouth as if to speak again. He hesitated for a second before continuing, albeit with some reluctance. "I mean beasts like you shouldn't be allowed to look that cute. Now shut up and go to sleep," he said, unintentionally mimicking Shizuo's earlier words. "I'm tired." Izaya turned away again and pulled more of the blanket away from Shizuo, probably out of spite.

Shizuo's eyes widened at the compliment poorly disguised as an insult. Izaya was stingy with genuine compliments so it was surprising that he would say something like this so openly. The dismissal following it was obviously added as a cover up but perhaps there was some truth to it. After all, the only way he would've said such a thing would be because exhaustion had loosened his tongue. A quick look at the alarm clock on the nightstand showed that it was nearing 4:45 am.

Realizing that they both really needed to get to sleep-he hadn't forgotten about Izaya's early meeting-Shizuo decided to let him off easy. He could always bring up this moment later, so for now he just let out a soft chuckle and pulled Izaya's body close against his chest.

"Yeah, alright. Goodnight, 'Zaya," he murmured, lips brushing against the back of Izaya's neck.

There was a beat of silence before he got a reply, quiet but content.

"Goodnight, Shizu-chan."

[drx3-imagines]

omg I loved your dotachin scenario! I requested it, so I'm really happy to see it up so quick! what about dotachin with a s/o who has social anxiety? - dotachin anon

I’ve got major social anxiety so I really felt close to this piece. I hope you all feel the same and that those who have anxiety, minor or major, can take a bit of comfort from this~ ^_^ It did get kind of long though, sorry ;;;

Dating Kadota could be hard sometimes. It’s not that he does anything wrong, of course; it’s just that he is strangely magnetized towards crowds… and loud people… and he encounters strangers often. This is totally fine from any point of view but your own; only because crowds make you feel, well, crowded. Loud noises scare you more often than not which makes you jump and then people stare and then… Okay, so, you’re a little skittish. You can’t really trust strangers and in a big, crime-ridden city, the very thought is even more worrisome. Being slightly averse to these things is foreign for Kyohei though because he lives and breathes excitement every damn day. Honestly, he just thinks you’re being shy and he finds it cute which would be great if it weren’t for the fact that you were constantly wanting to grab him by the shirt and tell him that nothing is okay. You couldn’t be angry at him though; mainly because you’d never mentioned that you were anxious before.

Today, like many other days spent with Kadota, began really well. You woke up early and cooked breakfast, this being one of the occasions where you had stayed over the night before. It was like something out of a movie, the way he walked through the kitchen doorway in a pair of pajama pants while he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He wrapped his arms around your waist as you plated food and grabbed some water. That was your morning. It was romantic and made you feel like you were dreaming.

As per usual, once noon hit, everything had a 50-50 chance of escalating to extremes. Today, like many other days spent with Kadota, ended with you in a silent panic. This time was worse, though. Far, far worse. The reason you had woken up so early in the morning was because you had come to the nauseating realization that soon you would have to talk to Kadota about your “shyness”. It stuck in the back of your head, nagging at you throughout the day. Sometimes it would be gentle nudges as if your brain was trying to help you better yourself slowly, gently. Other times your thoughts were filled with “Tell him. Tell him. You have to talk to him. Why don’t you just say something?” like a bad mantra until you had a headache and every nudge of a passerby in the streets where you walked, holding Kadota’s hand, was another nail in the coffin. It felt like everyone around you was staring, trying to suffocate you and all you could do was hold Kyohei’s hand tighter, stand as closely as you could, and pray that you’d make it out of the ocean of bodies before you fell unconscious. He was blissfully unaware of your breathing which grew quicker by the minute as your palms began to sweat. You’d never have thought that things could get worse.

Lo and behold, the universe hated you like Shizuo hates Izaya. Of all of the many adventures you had been on with Kadota, his recon missions to gang hideouts were not one of them. Ever. And originally, he hadn’t planned to bring you here at all but traffic had him running very late for his trip to drop you off at home and this Yellow Scarves meeting was crucial for some reason unbeknownst to you. One thing led to another and soon you found yourselves running through the warehouse doors as a gang member was sliding them closed. Kadota adjusted the yellow bandana around his face as you tightened the one around your wrist. You were, for the moment, relieved; the adrenaline of your full-speed run to the warehouse helped dull the intrusive thoughts in your head as you relished in the silence, waiting for the gang meeting to start. You were grateful that the seats the two of you managed to grab were at the end of the row and closest to the warehouse entrance.

Things were fine, you were fi- clang! The once peaceful, albeit tense, conversation between a few of the members and the pseudo-leader A.K.A. Ugly Butterfly Shirt Guy™ went downhill fast. The room was filled with colliding metal and yelling as the entire room watched the fight before them. A lead pipe crashed against a crowbar as the pseudo-leader screamed at the top of his lungs towards the leader of the small sub-group, “Tell them! Tell everyone here about what you were doing with those Dollars bastards!” That was it. That’s all it took for both you and the crowd. The commotion had already sent your nerves flaring up and those words were of no help. Things were getting worse.

A few gang members started to attack the group at the front of the room and soon that fight started getting bloody. The entire warehouse, already antsy from the initial confrontation, aided in creating a full fight between most, if not all, of the people in the building. Kadota was doing his best to try and get you out of the warehouse as soon as possible but you weren’t easing his struggles in the slightest. Your head was that of a thousand panicked birds in a cage the size of your palm. Your hands were sweaty and shaking as one violently rolled the hem of your shirt between your fingers and the other gripped Kadota’s hand as tightly as you could. You were frozen in place. All you could do was sit in the folding chair that squeaked painfully as you stared straight ahead, borderline hyperventilating and watching the chaos play out before you. When you took a moment to steady your racing thoughts, you found yourself outside and leaning against the back of the warehouse, listening to an out-of-breath Kyohei slump to the ground beside you, forehead bleeding slightly.

“Wh-… What happened?” you spoke shakily, wiping your eyes which were wet with tears you had not previously noticed.

Kyohei’s breathing had slowed somewhat but his voice was equally uneven in his reply, “You wouldn’t move so I had to carry you out, I got clipped by a bat on my way through the door,” he tugged off his hat and pushed his hair back, wiping at the blood on his forehead with the bandana, “What happened back there? I was worried. You looked so… afraid. And it wasn’t normal fear. You looked like you saw a ghost.” You turned your head to see Kadota walking towards you before he slung an arm around your shoulder. The look on his face hurt you deeply when he watched you flinch, your mind hazy and hardly registering anything at a normal speed. 

You knew you had to explain yourself. The fear had been haunting you all day and this was the only way you were going to be able to get rid of it. Your head fell back against his shoulder, shaky palms made their way across his back and stomach until your body rested in a pitiable sideways hug. Your tremors returned in full force as you choked on a strangled noise. Your throat burned and your lip quivered but all you could do was try to calm your breathing and hide your pained expression in Kadota’s arm. “I-,” a quiet sob wracked your body tears falling freely, quietly. “I got overwhelmed, I guess. All I could think about today were situations li-like this, looking so pathetic in front of you.” Kadota stayed quiet. “Crowds. The crowds bother me. I feel like I’m going to lose you and drown in a sea of st-strangers and the fighting had me scared a-and I knew I had to tell you but everything got bad. it got too bad and I should have said something and n-now I… I just… Oh god-” You were sobbing, your body shaking as your tears soaked Kyohei’s jacket and the fear you felt washed over you in waves. it suffocated any hope you had of surviving the situation. It was terrifying, the thoughts you had of Kadota laughing and walking away, of him leaving you alone behind the warehouse in a pile of tears and distress.

All that could be felt were long arms holding you against a warm body, listening to gentle shushing as a large hand ran its fingers through your hair. “You’re fine. It’s okay, don’t worry. You’re not pathetic, just- just hold on. It’s okay to be afraid, you did nothing wrong,” it was a chant against your ear as his warm breath eased your nerves somewhat. His voice was gentle and carried you away from yourself; you were beside your fear, looking at it with puffy eyes like it was a broken toy, only meant to upset you. Kadota’s kindness, his love, helped you begin to clean up the pieces and throw it away.

“I h-have anxiety. Like, really bad anxiety, Kyo. When we walk through the city I get scared a lot, and the strangers you meet make me nervous and the noise is so loud all the time, I get so afraid,” you pull him closer, tighter against your body. The tears have slowed, tremors lessened, your sobbing is less fierce now.

He holds you so tight as he tilts your head to look at the polluted sky, only a handful of stars were visible in the darkness. “It’s okay,” he whispered, “Just let me know what I can do to help. I only want you to be happy.” He leans in close and places a gentle kiss to your lips which had finally stopped quivering. It helps to calm you even more and you slide to the ground with him and take a second to relax. The night drags on, the two of you talking quietly and discussing ways to help you calm yourself when you’re afraid. The way back to his apartment is quiet, comfortable. Your head rests against the pillow as you allow Kadota to climb under the blanket and lie beside you. The two of you had finally arrived home and settled in Kadota’s room. This won’t cure your anxiety but it will surely help ease you through the night.

- Pasya