Tension

[UndergroundGod]

Izaya had really done it this time.

Shizuo had been chasing him through the streets of Ikebukuro for nearly two hours, relentlessly hunting him down, even evading the tricks that normally got the man off his trail. This time, Shizuo was exceedingly determined and it was honestly beginning to seem like there was no escape.

The day had started normally enough. Izaya had been skipping through the streets of Ikebukuro, on his way to meet up with Mikado to discuss something Dollars-related and perhaps tease the boy a bit about one thing or another (that was practically a given, though). As usual, Izaya looked nonchalant, but he was observing his surroundings all the time. It was rare that someone could sneak up on him, and in Ikebukuro, he always needed to be on the lookout for Shizuo.

And, of course, it wasn't long before a trash can came flying out of nowhere, followed by Shizuo's enraged battle cry of "IIIIZAAAAAAAAAYAAAAAAAAAA-KUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN."

Izaya just nearly dodged the metal projectile, grinning exasperatedly in Shizuo's direction, "Shizu-chan, can't you pick a more convenient time to do this, I need to meet with someone. Can we reschedule?"

As usual, Shizuo threatened to kill him, Izaya sighed and pulled out his flickblade, Shizuo ripped a stop sign out of the concrete sidewalk, yada yada yada, the same routine they went through every time they crossed paths in the city.

But this time, Izaya got too close and he actually managed to slash Shizuo across his cheek, drawing blood that dripped down his face to stain his vest (one of the vests his brother had given him, of course), and that crossed a line.

Shizuo had been chasing Izaya since and nothing Izaya did could seem to shake him, not even the alley-truck trick worked, even though that always worked. Though endurance was one of the things Izaya prided himself on, even he was beginning to wear down. He'd been chased around the city by Shizuo an infinite number of times (he'd lost count of that years ago), but usually their chases lasted fifteen, twenty minutes tops. Usually something would happen to distract Shizuo, or Simon would show up, and Izaya could escape unscathed, but things were just not working out that way today.

Getting tired, though, meant making mistakes. It was something that Izaya tried to avoid doing for obvious reasons, but the more he ran, the less energy he had to think and after nearly two hours, he was more or less operating on instinct more than any higher thinking ability. And, as Shizuo's behavior so often proved, acting purely on instinct rarely led to success.

Just then, with Shizuo on his heel, Izaya turned a corner… and hit a dead end. Without the energy left to pull one of his wall-jumping stunts, Izaya finally found himself trapped, and he whipped around to face Shizuo.

[tossingtrashcans]

It was a rather normal day, as normal as they were for Shizuo. He met up with Tom in the morning, kicked some ass in the early afternoon and enjoyed his day. He was on the way back to meet up with Tom when he saw him. Izaya Orihara. He was standing there casual as ever. So of course, his mind switched gears and he was instantly on the hunt for Mr. Flea.

Shizuo had slipped though, he had gotten to close and found how sharp Izaya's blade really was. Course that was nothing, compared to the trunk in the alley trick. It hurt like hell, but he jumped up and ran after the rat.

Seemed that once his blood was spilled all over the one side of his vest, (which was inf act from his brother), he wasn't angry... he was pissed off. It was one thing when Izaya slicked him and just cut the fabric. He'd hand stitched a few holes here and there, but blood. Blood was going to cost him to take it somewhere and get it out. Not to mention, if he couldn't be brought out.... it's be stained. And he hated the idea of having to toss out another vest because of this... careless flea he was chasing after.

Shizuo had no idea of how long time had passed. He was panted hard as he turned the corner after Izaya and smirked. He reached up and wiped his face then ripped a sign off the street.

“You rat bastard.” he gruffed as his hand tightened around the pole of the sign. “You're going to get it for this.” he muttered as he pulled his hand back, raising the sign.

Shizuo stood there ready to strike him down. His chest was rising and falling from having chased him around almost all of Ikebukurp. He felt the slightly layer of sweat on his body as he raised his arm up the fullest extent.

“Last words?” he said then started to bring down his arm, putting as much force into it as he could.

[UndergroundGod]

Shizuo, for the first time in… ever actually, had him cornered. His chest heaving as he fought to catch his breath, there was nowhere to back up to, nowhere to turn and run. There was no distraction, and now way to get around Shizuo. The man was blocking the front of the alley wholly, and with that sign raised above his head, poised to strike… Izaya had absolutely no way to escape.

If Izaya knew what hopelessness felt like, he might have recognized the feeling that was suddenly gnawing at his heart. It was a stupid, useless emotion, though. After all, what was the point in it? Hopelessness didn't do anything to help him out of the situation, and it certainly didn't make him feel better about the idea that this could be his final moment on earth.

To be honest, Izaya maybe even felt a little… frustrated with himself. He couldn't believe he'd made such a careless mistake so as to be trapped by Shizuo. After all these YEARS of baiting the man into more and more dangerous situations, it was almost impossible to think that it'd all be over just because he'd taken one wrong turn.

Then suddenly… something occurred to him. He couldn't escape by physical force, and talking his way out of situations that involved Shizuo were always completely pointless. The fact that Shizuo wouldn't listen to reason was one of the things about him that frustrated Izaya so greatly. But there was one last thing he could try. He didn't know if it would work. Hell, chances were it would probably just make Shizuo angrier at him.

But if Shizuo was really going to kill him anyway, he might as well give it a shot. After all, what did he have to lose?

Izaya made his move the second he saw the muscles in Shizuo's arms twitch forward to bring the street sign down on him, but instead of moving away… Izaya did the opposite. He launched himself forward with expertly trained reflexes, aiming for the safe spot behind Shizuo's range of motion with the non-agile weapon. His hands grabbed for Shizuo's collar, pulling the man forward and downwards as the swinging motion of the sign did part of the work for him, and he leaned up towards Shizuo's face…

And he kissed him.

In one quick motion, Izaya was holding himself against Shizuo's chest and pressing their lips softly together in what was perhaps his last action on this earth.

[tossingtrashcans]

Shizuo stood there, his hold on the sign was tighter. He was fully ready to bring the sign into contact with Izaya's head. Of course that was till he felt Izaya's hand on his shirt then his lips on his. His gripped on the pole instantly lessened as he dropped the sign with a loud 'thud' against the alley.

Was this really what it felt like? It'd been so long since he'd been truly kissed by someone. Someone that wasn't related to him anyway. He blinked a few times before his eyes slowly fell closed. His entire body froze.

He was having trouble wrapping his brain around this one. Never had he thought something like this would happen. After all the years of him chasing him through the streets, he never actually thought he'd get him cornered either. He found him self asking if Izaya really was being pressed against his body. Could he smell him? Well, at least he didn't smell bad. That was good, wait! What was he thinking, this was Izaya.... who had rather soft lips.

[UndergroundGod]

Shizuo's mouth was warm and Izaya's heart was pounding, but he stayed right where he was for a long moment. If this was going to be his last moment alive, then he was going to enjoy it.

At least he wouldn't be dying before he had his first kiss.

In the thirty seconds that followed, Izaya did everything in his power to commit this feeling to memory. He'd either be dead soon, or if this worked, he'd escape and this would probably never happen again so… what choice did he have but to savor this now? Shizuo's lips were surprisingly soft beneath his and it felt good to have his body pressed to Shizuo's, closer than ever before. The man's form was strong (as expected) and warm and Izaya tried not to think about what it would be like to have Shizuo's arms wrapped around him because that was folly.

Even while he was kissing Shizuo, Izaya found it hard to admit to himself just how much he had wanted this. Even as his lungs stopped working in the shock of the warmth, he couldn't admit that he'd wanted to kiss Shizuo for years, that he'd ached for an opportunity like this (only not like this at all, because he'd rather Shizuo be a willing participant and not just what he was now; a horrified bystander). He never let himself think about such things and there was no sense in thinking about it now, because this changed nothing.

Either way, it seemed that his plan to escape had worked. Shizuo was now frozen and rendered inert, the sign lying on the ground and out of reach.

Izaya pulled back then, using every ounce of his acting ability to maintain a silly grin and say in a teasing tone, "That was nice."

His hands released Shizuo's collar (almost reluctantly), adjusted the shirt to flatten out the bunched fabric, and he chimed, "Thanks, Shizu-chan~ See you later~"

As he walked away, heading back towards his office since he'd long since missing meeting Mikado, his heart was still throbbing, but he ignored it firmly, determined to go about the rest of his day as normally as possible.

[tossingtrashcans]

Shizuo blinked and nodded, standing there in the alley. Once he was sure Izaya was gone. He pulled out his smoke and lit one. He pulled the cigarette from his mouth and exhaled. He shoved his hand into his pocket then headed home. It really was all he could do, still somewhat in a stupor.

Once he was home he locked himself into the apartment and sank back against his door. His eyes were darting all over the place.

“Izaya... kissed...” he breathed out then pushed himself off the door. He ducked quickly into the bathroom and turned on the water at the sink. A wet face later he looked up at himself. His eyes narrowed at the dried blood on his vest, “That flea!” He yelled as he ripped the hand towel off the rack to dry his face.

Not only had he gotten blood on another one of his vest, but he had kissed him. That man would do ANYTHING to get away from him.

After a call to Tom explaining that he wasn't feeling well after lunch, he just stayed home. The rest of his day consisted of him draped half naked across the couch with the TV on. He wasn't really watching it, just... listening as his mind drifted a bit. When he had the urge he'd light up and sit there and smoke, that seemed to relax him.

He didn't notice how much that simple kiss effected him till he needed to go out for another pack of smokes. He put it off as long as he could then that evening he left for food and smokes.

Once he returned home, he locked himself in and finished off the his day with a long bath. His third that day actually.

[UndergroundGod]

Izaya was used to training his thoughts and behavior. If he didn't want to think about something, he normally had no problem keeping himself distracted with more important things, and since thoughts about Shizuo were something he had practice distracting himself from, Izaya didn't have much of a problem coldly returning to his day's work without thinking about what he'd just done.

His next week went normally. He didn't run into Shizuo, and he didn't think about him. He exchanged some information, set off some drop offs of some illegal substances, arranged criminal activity, kept a distant eye on his sisters and picked on Namie, everything a routine in his life that he didn't need to bother thinking about.

It was only as he was falling asleep at night, lying in bed and drifting off, that he remembered the feeling of Shizuo's mouth against his.

A week later, Izaya was in Ikebukuro and, as he should have guessed, Shizuo found him. The man called his name and Izaya jumped, abandoning Dotachin mid-sentence to escape.

He didn't plan on getting far though. This time, Shizuo hadn't picked up a weapon; Izaya knew somehow, that this was different, that Shizuo wasn't just trying to kill him this time, so instead of escape… Izaya just wanted to take them somewhere private.

He made Shizuo chase him for about four blocks, his heart racing with adrenaline and anticipation, when he turned a corner down a long, open alleyway (giving him more than ample opportunity to escape this time) and he stopped and turned to face the man with a grin. His hand went for his pocket, his knife—he didn't pull it out, but he was ready to if he'd read the situation wrong and Shizuo really did plan on attacking him.

[tossingtrashcans]

An entire week had gone by and he couldn’t help but think about the kiss almost every moment he wasn’t focusing on something else. Tom snapped at him again and then told him to go home. Seeing as he hadn’t been able to really focus on a lot of shit, he was sent him early.

Shizuo just could let go of the feeling that had sunk into the pit of his stomach, why had Izaya done that? Course he tried to just tell him he did it cause he was trying to get free of him, but then again that kiss last to long for it to just be that, or maybe he was just reading too much into it. He really wasn’t sure, he’d spent so much time thinking about it, and he had no idea what was what anymore.

He sighed as he rummaged around his pockets and pulled out his smokes. He looked up and stopped. Izaya was standing there talking to Kyohei,

“IIIIIIZZZZZZAAAAYYYYAAAAAAA!!!!!!” He yelled out shoved his smokes away then ran after him. He chased after Izaya.
It was a rather short chase before he had him cornered in the alley. “Izaya.” He growled out, his hand balled into a fist as he walked a little closer, but not to close.

“Mind explaing to me what the hell happened the last time I saw you?” Shizuo said, getting right to the point. He hated having all these questions rolling around in his head; it was time he got some answers.

[UndergroundGod]

Despite the way Izaya's heart was beating so fast it was practically just vibrating, he kept his emotions hidden. His usual smug grin was plastered to his lips as he faced the blond man that appeared at the end of the alley.

Shizuo was visibly agitated… though Izaya supposed that wasn't saying much. Shizuo was usually visibly agitated when Izaya was in his sights, but… this was different. Izaya knew enough about Shizuo to be able to read his moods to a degree, even if all the moods that Izaya saw were just different versions of irritation. Beneath the outer layer of agitation, Izaya could tell that something about Shizuo seemed… off, distracted. It was obvious that Shizuo wasn't on his game, though the reasons behind this weren't as immediately obvious.

Of course, Shizuo was much too blunt to hide things from Izaya and he immediately made what was bugging him apparent.

Shizuo… wanted to know why Izaya had kissed him. He'd obviously been lingering on the kiss, wondering why the hell it had happened. That was the most obvious explanation for his behavior now.

Honestly, Shizuo should have known better than to think he would get a straight answer out of Izaya, and the younger male grinned a bit wider, shrugging his shoulders casually as he teased, "What are you talking about, Shizu~?"

[tossingtrashcans]

“Don't you dare toy with me Orihara.” Shizuo said then stalked over to him and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, nothing more, “Now tell me. Why did you kiss me in the alley last week?” He asked, his eyes narrowed onto Izaya's face. He was pissed off at him for doing such a thing, but they again he just wanted to know why he would. Why would Izaya have done that, he could count the number of people he's kissed on one hand. It's not like he was that easy to get close to.

Izaya seemed to think different. The smug grin, the casual attitude. It took everything Shizuo had to not just head but the bastard right then and there and leave it at that. Course, he knew... it wouldn't just be left at that. He would mull it over more and continue to wonder why and it would only piss him off more and bother Tom even more and he couldn't deal with losing this job just cause this damned flea had kissed him.

He clearly was letting it effect him to much, but he needed answers and he was going to get them.

[UndergroundGod]

Of course his reply only served to aggravate Shizuo further. That was all it had been designed to do. If Shizuo thought he would get the real answer out of Izaya, he was terrifically wrong.

Izaya wasn't even fully prepared for the real answer. He certainly wasn't ready to give it to Shizuo.

Shizuo approached Izaya and he didn't try to move. He let the older man grab him by the collar, bringing their face ridiculously close (though Izaya would have thought that that was an ill-advised move on Shizuo's part, considering what had happened the last time they were this close). All Izaya could do was grin as Shizuo asked gruffly why had had kissed him, demanding an answer that would never come.

Being a master of evasion when it was necessary made this just another game for Izaya to play, another game for Izaya to win. Though honestly, this particular game was one Izaya would rather die than lose.

"Ooh, is Shizu-chan talking about that?" he said coyly, that same smug look on his face. His hand reached up and covered Shizuo's, keeping his hand in place against his shirt, while the other hand reached up to Shizuo's cheek, sliding along the warm skin. Izaya expected to be pushed away at any second, but that would be fine. He leaned towards him and his voice lowered as he continued, his tone and volume that of someone sharing a dirty secret, "What's the matter, Shizu-chan? Can't stop thinking about me?"

[tossingtrashcans]

Shizuo nearly snarled at him as he shoved him back against the alley wall, “Fuc* off Izaya.” He said roughly. That was it he could stand it. He was nearly all over him and he wanted to just shower. He felt his skin crawl. He looked up, “Stay the hell away from me.” He said as he turned his back to Izaya then started to walk out of the alley way.

He honestly couldn't stand to breath in the same air as him right now let alone look at his face. Punching him right now would have been to easy. He was dismissing that thought from his mind and tossing it the hell aside. It no long mattered. He'd seek electro-shock therapy if he needed to. Anything to get that memory wiped clean from his brain.

Shizuo walked out of the alley way searching his pockets as he pulled out a smoke and light it. Walking away from him and everything to do with him.

[UndergroundGod]

Izaya knew he was being an asshole. He knew that the tone he was using, and the way he was touching Shizuo's skin was intrusive, almost sexual. There wasn't a single part of him that honestly believed Shizuo would be happy about what he was doing and being hit or shoved away was the natural reaction that Izaya was anticipating.

Even though Izaya often had a hard time predicting the man's behaviors, he'd gotten this one dead on and it was only a split second after the words were out of his mouth that Shizuo shoved him, HARD. Hard enough that Izaya couldn't have prepared himself for that amount of force, and he was slammed back into the wall, his shoulder making first contact that would later leave a bruise as a reminder of the injury.

In spite of the fact that Izaya expected the reaction, it still hurt. And the pain wasn't just physical, it wasn't just his shoulder. At feeling Shizuo shove him away, he felt his heart seizing up like Shizuo had reached into his chest and squeezed it, fingers rupturing the muscle and bursting the vulnerable arteries. Izaya couldn't breathe for second, as if holding it in anticipation of a second blow that didn't fall.

He sucked in a sharp breath once Shizuo had disappeared around the corner, needing the air.

Shizuo's intense reaction did prove one thing though… Izaya had been right. The question was insensitively invasive, but Shizuo's reaction to it meant that the answer was yes. There'd be no reason for Shizuo to be so pissed at him if it wasn't true. Shizuo… had been thinking about him. Shizuo had been thinking about the kiss.

Sure, it didn't tell Izaya why Shizuo had been thinking about it, but… Izaya didn't need to know why. What really mattered was that Shizuo had been thinking about him, about Izaya kissing him, for the entire week. For an entire week, Izaya had been the one prevailing thought on Shizuo's mind.

It was everything Izaya could hope for. The one thing Izaya knew for sure was that there was no way he could stay the hell away from Shizuo, not now.

Izaya gave Shizuo a few days to cool off, but he didn't want him to cool off too much. Instead of his usual chance meetings that he had with Shizuo, that day, he sought him out, wanting to invade his space again and get his attention. He'd gotten Shizuo to start obsessing over him. Now he just needed him not to stop.

However, he spent an hour or so not getting any results. Trying to make the encounter seem organic, once he'd found Shizuo, he'd crossed paths a block or two ahead of the man, which was usually enough to incite him to rage… but today, it wasn't working. Izaya tried this again, three more times, each time passing him progressively closer. He was SURE that Shizuo could see him, but, somehow… the man wasn't reacting.

So Izaya dropped the façade of trying to pass him and began to follow him, closer and closer; he was actually… irritated that Shizuo would ignore him. Shizuo NEVER ignored him, and after what had happened just a few days ago, it was actually painful to be ignored like this.

Eventually though, when Izaya was trailing behind Shizuo just a few feet, the man suddenly paused, and he told him to go away… and Izaya knew he had him. Finally, he grinned again, with his new goal in mind. He would trail Shizuo as long as he had to in order to secure his attention.

[tossingtrashcans]

“I thought I told you to go away.” Shizuo said in a rather calm manor as he walked down the sidewalk, a light smoke hanging out of his mouth. After he left Izaya in the alley the other day he went home and moved on. Dismissing the man from his mind. It was actually working out for the most part, till he saw Izaya cross in front of him the first time. He just looked away and carried out. Slowly though he noticed that Izaya was getting more and more... pushy about getting him to react. He wasn't giving him, he refused. Then finally he just had enough.

That's where he was right now, telling Izaya to go away.

Shizuo moved his hand up and removed the end of his cigarette from his mouth and exhaled before he took another hit off it and stopped walking. He lifted his leg and put it out on the bottom of his shoe then tossed it out.

Without really thinking, his brain was just on auto pilot really. He started heading down the side walk again. It was dinner time and he was getting himself some sushi to take him and enjoy. The fact that there was a flea following him meant nothing. His plans weren't about to change cause of that.

There was no way he would let Izaya both inside his brain and apartment. Hell, he was almost sure Izaya would ditch him once he saw the place.

He rounded the corner and looked up, Russia Sushi was at the end of this street. He really didn't notice the weird looks that people were giving him either. Izaya following so close behind and him not bursting out into a unfit rage. For once in his life... Izaya was nothing to him. Maybe he should have done this a long time ago. Just stopped giving Izaya the attention he so seemed to seek from others.

[UndergroundGod]

Izaya… couldn't believe it. After years, YEARS, of easily getting a rise out of Shizuo… now nothing? What the hell was going on? The information broker was literally ready to tear his hair out—or tear Shizuo's hair out, and with how closely he was following him, it was certainly a possibility.

But what if that didn't work either? What if Shizuo just ignored his attack? That would… be even worse somehow. That would make Izaya seem desperate and goddamnit he would not have that. Shizuo would not reduce him to a sniveling child begging for his attention.

This was absolutely frustrating, though! It was all he could do to keep the fury off his face as he casually moved after Shizuo on the street, growing closer and closer. He was grinning, but it was only because he was always grinning. Inside, he was positively fuming. This was terrible, this… this was indecent!. When did Shizuo suddenly get all this control? How the hell was Shizuo ignoring him?

Izaya turned off his heart to the possibility that kissing the man had really ended everything. He wouldn't even touch that thought.

Meanwhile, his stalking was drawing more and more eyes. The crowds around them knew all too well what happened when Izaya was within Shizuo's sights. They had seen the vending machines and trash cans and street signs flying through the streets so often that it was nearly expected. But this… this was weirding everyone out and with his peripheral vision Izaya could see the perplexed looks decorating the faces of the crowd.

He wouldn't have it. If this wouldn't work, Izaya would find something that would. Shizuo was headed for Russian Sushi now, but… he'd have to go home at some point, and Izaya knew exactly the line he'd have to cross to get the attention he wanted.

After that, he drew slowly further and further from Shizuo, disappearing back into the crowd… and then rushing ahead to Shizuo's apartment as quickly as he could.

~~~

At first, he hadn't known quite what he was looking for, but he knew he'd know it when he saw it. He knew the one line that Shizuo Heiwajima would allow being crossing, and if he ignored this… well, Izaya might just consider giving up, honestly. If this didn't work, he wasn't quite sure what could.

Izaya had gotten in and out of Shizuo's apartment in less than ten minutes, trained to be that efficient in such matters, and he was now heading towards his office in Shinjuku. Shizuo may return home any minute now, or he may not return home for an hour, but he would immediately know who had committed the crime, and he would know where to find that person. Izaya trusted Shizuo to be smart enough to figure that out, at least. He expected to hear the man screaming his name from ten blocks away.

Meanwhile, the obviously prized framed photograph of Shizuo and his brother that Izaya had found sitting on Shizuo's nightstand was tucked safely away in one of the millions of corners in the city.