Sweetest Devotion

If he'd thought the hardest part of having a dog was fretting over its overall well-being, then his vacation time proved him wholly mistaken. He wasn't the best-equipped pet-owner in the world to begin with, and his designated pet-sitters were even less so.

"Don't you worry about a thing, Shizuo!" Shinra assured him. He wasn't assured. "Celty and I will take care of little Alley like she's our own child. It'll be great practice for our future babies!"

A sphere of shadow, the size of a tennis ball, pelted Shinra in the back of the head, sending him sprawling face-first into the couch. Celty took the doctor's place in front of Shizuo, puffs of black smoke spouting from the base of her neck like an erupting volcano.

[NO BABIES!] she typed at Shinra – although he was too stunned by her blow to read it. She continued typing, and turned the PDA to Shizuo. [We'll make sure she doesn't miss you too much.]

Shizuo's fist tightened defensively over the leash, which was wound so tightly around his fingers that they could've popped off at the joints. The little Rottweiler at his thigh didn't notice. She continued to sit quietly beside him, tongue lolling as she smiled around at the apartment. Shizuo had brought her up here once or twice before. He'd left her with whoever was home for an hour or two if he was called up for a last minute "house call." Or when he happened to glimpse Izaya skipping over a crosswalk and felt a sudden necessity for murder.

He'd never left her for more than a day, though, let alone a whole week. Taking a vacation was not something Shizuo felt he needed, but Tom was practically paying him to get away from Ikebukuro for a bit.

"You've been working with me for a long time," Tom had said. "And in all that time, I can't remember when you last took a break."

He took plenty of breaks. In people's bones. When they were uncooperative. But, Tom insisted on a less medical "break."

"Listen, I got in touch with your brother and he picked out a nice n' quiet little island where you won't be bothered by anyone. Covered all the expenses, too."

In all the time that Shizuo had known Tom he'd grown to respect the man's honesty, which only made shrewd little manipulations like this that much more surprising. He was simple and straightforward, which Shizuo liked, but he supposed you didn't get far in this line of work without being at least a little bit sneaky.

Of course, Shizuo couldn't let Kasuka's payments go to waste and he couldn't deny his boss. But, he also couldn't take Alley with him. Planes freaked her out. When they flew too low over Ikebukuro, the noise from the engines made her run and hide. Shizuo didn't like imaging how stressed she would be getting locked up inside of one.

That left Shizuo to do the stressing. Shinra and Celty were the only friends he had in the city, and it wasn't as if he didn't trust them… It was just that, if he was one of the most ill-equipped people to take care of a pet, then Shinra and Celty were even worse. He was half-afraid that if something were to go wrong with Alley, then Shinra's first instinct would be to dissect her to figure out the problem. And Celty wasn't home often enough to type some sense at him.

If Tom's goal was to get Shizuo to relax on this little sabbatical, then it had failed even before he'd set foot in the airport. The more nervous he got about leaving her though, the calmer Alley got, lounging on the carpet at his feet. She wasn't threatened in the least bit by the morbid imaginings in Shizuo's head. Celty's supernatural nature had never affected her – something the dullahan had feared when she'd first met the dog. Few things really bothered Alley in this strange city. Plane engines sent her running, but Shinra's loud mouth didn't. Most animals' sixth sense told them to steer clear of Shizuo, but she had come padding right up to him.

For a creature that had been abandoned to die in the back alleys of Ikebukuro, she loved people. She had a deep, forgiving nature that made something happen in Shizuo's guts that he couldn't explain. Maybe it was indigestion. And maybe he was over-thinking this whole thing. Alley had survived far worse things than his kooky friends before she'd found him.

[Everything will be fine.] Celty typed. [She can play with Shooter when she's bored. I'll get some tips from Anri on pet-care – she's been doing great with that cat you brought in that one time. I can zip down to the pet store whenever we're low on food. I can…]

The PDA filled up with lines upon lines of little black characters. They started to blur together the longer Shizuo tried to keep up with them. Something about the excess of assurances gave him the faintest impression that Celty was looking forward to this. Her enthusiasm expressed itself through bubbles of smoke, silently popping up from her neck as she tapped at the keyboard. She was planning for every contingency, and had rigorously catalogued all of Alley's needs into her device when Shizuo had impressed them upon the two earlier.

Although he still had his reservations – mostly about Shinra, they were always about Shinra – Celty's commitment finally won him over. Without a sound, he presented her with the end of the leash while she was mid-sentence.

"Daily reports," he said, as she reverently accepted the leash. "Email, text, Skype, whatever. I want regular updates."

Her neck rocked forward and back in a headless nod. Shinra finally managed to rouse himself from his semi-conscious state to celebrate.

"Don't worry, Shizuo" – he was immediately worried – "We'll make sure she doesn't miss you too much."

[Enjoy your vacation!]

Sensing that some sort of departure was about to take place, Alley lurched to her feet, looking expectantly up at Shizuo. This was a horrible mistake. He took it back. Let Kasuka's money go to waste. He couldn't go on vacation. He'd make it up to Tom. Whatever. No, he wasn't going. Nuh uh.

But, then Alley wiggled her stumpy tail up at Celty and he realized that she knew exactly what was going on. Somehow. Through that strange doggy instinct. And if she was okay with it, then he'd have to be, too. He gave her a parting pat on the head, she barked once, as if to say "have a nice trip," and he forced himself to leave.

- Day 1 -

Tom wasn't kidding when he said the island was quiet. It was actually kind of creepy just how few people he met around the little land mass. It was so tiny that you could walk from one end to the other in a day. The coast was dotted with fishing boats and tackle shops, a snack shack here, a motel there, and not much else that might attract tourists. He called Kasuka once to ask how the hell he'd come across this place, but only got a representative.

He was booked at the one motel on the beach, a tiny stucco structure comprised of five guest rooms and one office. None of the other rooms were occupied. It was just him and the motel clerk, who was as old and small as his building. He moved as slow as his age would suggest. It took him two minutes just to reach behind him and hand Shizuo his room key. The entire check-in process was like this. The old man's fingers shook over everything he touched and it looked like his arm was too heavy for him to lift.

Shizuo's impatience had a habit of manifesting itself in violent ticks, most of which intimidated the people of Ikebukuro into hurrying along. But, this man was completely unaffected by his guest's perpetual frustration. And Shizuo found himself oddly appreciative of that. He oddly appreciated much of the island's simplicity, although he was loathe to admit as much to the architects of this sabbatical.

He knew he was expected to find a lounge chair, park his ass on it, and do absolutely nothing for the next seven days… But, Shizuo wasn't sure he knew how to do absolutely nothing. He'd spent a great deal of time, bouncing from job to job, looking to do the exact opposite of nothing, and his work with Tom did just the trick. And now, his work for Tom was contradicting itself and forcing him not to toss dead-beats halfway across the skyline.

This relaxing thing was maddening. He sat on the beach and stared at the ocean for two minutes before he was on his feet and pacing a trench into the sand. Seven days. He couldn't sit still for two minutes, let alone seven whole days. He considered maybe volunteering to help the motel clerk with his motel clerking, just to feel like he was doing something. Or maybe he could help the fishermen at the tackle shop by lifting heavy crates and the like. Or help rent out bikes. Or take up lifeguarding. Or anything. He knew that productivity was supposed to be the enemy of vacationing, but it was sure starting to feel like the vacation was the real enemy.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been pacing when his phone chimed on, but there was a half-foot deep line in the sand when he stopped. He had a message from Celty, logging her first report as doting dog aunt.

[Alley was great today! Fed her twice, like you told me, and took her out for a walk in the morning. A little testy on the leash, but I think I had it too short. Played ball in the dog park – I didn't even know we had one of those – and wore her out. She fell asleep at the door so, I think she might miss you!]

She added one of those elaborate parenthesis emojis to express that she thought it was cute. He replied with his thanks and, when he looked up from typing, he found himself sitting back down. Tension drained out of him like a popped water balloon. The dog hadn't been the main source of his discomfort, but it certainly contributed. He could probably relax better if he'd brought her along – she had a soothing effect on him – but, knowing that she was content with where she was, was one ounce of relief off his shoulders.

If the dog could enjoy her vacation, then he should have no problem doing the same. Shizuo leaned back on the chair and focused on the ocean until he couldn't feel boredom anymore.

- Day 2 -

[You didn't tell us she had a favorite walking spot!] Celty's report started the following evening.

He didn't know she had a preference. He thought it was just the simple act of walking that made Alley happy.

[She was pulling on the leash a lot and I was worried I was doing something wrong. But, we ran into a friend that told us you take her down to Minami Park sometimes. She cheered up instantly when we dropped by!]

Shizuo remembered that he passed by the park often, but he couldn't recall any change in Alley's demeanor when they did. He must not have been paying attention. He wondered if that made him an even worse pet-owner than he already was.

The only other thing Celty felt worth mentioning was that Alley barked at Anri once, but was otherwise as completely at ease around the supernatural high-schooler as she was around the dullahan. Shizuo was starting to wonder if the dog wasn't supernatural herself, to be so comfortable among the inhuman and the strange of Ikebukuro.

- Day 3 -

[Had a friend stop by today – business with Shinra. I think Alley found a temporary bestie until you get back!]

Another one of those weird emojis. And a couple hearts.

[I can't get over how friendly she is! Most of our friends are so… different yet, if I'm not careful, I think she might walk out the door with this one!]

Shizuo tried not to feel betrayed and crushed the bike's handlebar when trying didn't work. He'd cycled across the island three times in lieu of anything else to do. At least the dog was happy.

- Day 4 -

Maybe he was going stir crazy, but it was starting to sound like Celty was keeping something from him. It was raining that day so, he thought a Skype call was in order. And maybe he could call up Tom later and bargain his way back home early. He wouldn't hold his breath on that prayer, though.

He lit up a cigarette in the dingy little motel room while he waited for the laptop's signal to connect. The smoke licked the walls, joining decades of yellow stains before it. He wondered when there had been enough smoking visitors to make the walls that ugly shade. He'd done a lot of wondering over the course of his vacation. There wasn't much else to do on this solitary little rock but sit and wonder. He wondered if the ancient old man might die before Shizuo's stay was over. He wondered if the man had ever met Kasuka, and kept wondering how his brother found this place.

The more wondering he did, the more annoyed he got. The more annoyed he got, the more impatient he felt waiting for the wavering wi-fi connection to steady. He was just about to catapult the computer through the window when a picture finally cut into existence. He was first greeted with Shinra's big dopey face, filling up the screen while he fiddled with the web cam. Shizuo didn't know what his own expression looked like, but his face startled the doctor right out of frame. Celty had been sitting idly in the desk chair behind Shinra while he meddled, and lurched to the keyboard once she finally saw Shizuo.

[Hi!] she typed into the little chat box in the corner of the screen.

"Hey," he grunted.

[How's your vacation?]

"Long."

[You're determined not to enjoy it, huh?]

Shizuo grumbled a wordless response.

Then, there came an anxious whimper from below Celty's screen and Alley hopped up next to her. Her nails clicked on the desk and little droplets of saliva splattered against the camera lens. She barked excitedly. Celty twisted around the dog to reach the keyboard.

[Is that the first time you've smiled all vacation?]

Shizuo snorted smoke out of his nose. He didn't even feel his face change, but sure enough, his face in the bottom window was smiling. Throughout the Skype call, Alley kept trying to lick Shizuo's face on the computer screen, which made Shinra whine in distress and Celty's shoulders shake with laughter. It was a struggle for her to type up her report so, Shinra filled in most of the typos. But, even if they told him nothing, the dog's demeanor said it all. After all his reservations about leaving her behind, he was glad that the duo had ended up being perfect pet-sitters. Most of the credit probably went to Alley herself for being so low-maintenance, but there was only so much a dog could do to take care of itself.

There was a sound in the background of Celty's apartment – sounded like a knock on the door. Alley's ears lifted.

"I'll get it, my love!" Shinra sang, sweeping out of the room.

"Expecting company?" Shizuo asked, conversationally.

Celty leaned down to type an answer and her fingers came to an abrupt halt over the keys. Her body stiffened, as if she'd forgotten something that she'd just remembered. Shizuo heard an indistinct muddle of voices towards the door he couldn't see. Alley barked suddenly and bounded off the screen. Chaotic spurts of shadow gave away Celty's nervousness as she hastily typed.

[Gotta go! Call you again tomorrow?]

"Sure."

She waved goodbye a little too fast, slammed down her laptop screen, and the connection was lost. That was the first day Shizuo suspected Celty wasn't being honest with him. He stared at the darkening computer screen for a good long while, cigarette burning down to nothing on his lips. Should he be concerned? Did that have anything to do with his dog? Well, it must have been if she'd run off so fast. She didn't get that excited over anyone but him – if he wasn't feeling humble. Celty had mentioned that Alley had taken a liking to one of their friends. Maybe that wimpy DOLLARS kid with the name like an air conditioner? Celty knew how much that gang got on his nerves. Maybe she just didn't want to upset him.

He was left to wonder. More wondering. Fan-fucking-tastic.

- Day 5 -

"What was up with you yesterday?"

Celty froze. She'd been rambling in her chat box. She told him what Alley had for breakfast that morning, what they did at that park she liked so much, how she and Shooter raced around the apartment complex when they were bored, and how she was out with Shinra now, going to meet up with a friend, but they'd be back in time for the end of the call.

[What do you mean?] she typed, not answering his question.

"You had a visitor and you got weird." The end of his cigarette burned accusingly.

It took her a moment to consider her response, and that second of hesitation spoke even more suspicion to Shizuo.

[Private business acquaintance] she started typing.

"Celty."

She cringed. For a person with no face, she was a horrible liar.

"You've been having some help with the dog," he filled in for her. "It's not a big deal, Celty. One of those Raira kids you've adopted?"

[Yeah, he went to Raira.]

"So long as you or Shinra stay with her…"

[Of course! We don't let her out of our sight, ever.]

Shizuo nodded his approval. They chatted for a little while longer to kill time until Shinra came home. When he did, Alley bounced up on the desk and licked the computer screen. Everything was perfect in her little world.

- Day 6 -

It was almost over, he thought, breathing out smoke in a cloud of relief. One more day and he was back to having something to do. The days had been so fucking long. He'd exhausted everything the island had to offer the first four days he'd been there. He spent the day attempting to sit still on the beach again. He tried reading a book, whatever the latest "blockbuster" thriller was, paying a dollar for it at the used bookstore. He read the first page and was already annoyed enough by the protagonist's paragraph of self-pity over his dead wife not to finish it. He hated reading, anyway.

Today's dog log came in text form. All the same as the previous days. Big breakfast. Long walk. Play-date with new friend. Dinner. There was one good thing he could say about this vacation. It proved Celty and Shinra were more reliable than he'd initially feared.

- Day 7 -

Packing didn't take long enough to fill the day. He'd brought one suitcase. Three different outfits, basic toiletries, computer, phone, wallet. His only souvenir was the book he'd never read. He quadruple checked the time his flight would leave, which only killed about five minutes. He tried talking to the motel clerk to thank him for his hospitality. That took even less than five minutes. The old man just smiled blankly at him. Shizuo didn't think he heard a single word he said.

He called up Kasuka again. Another spokesperson. He really need to get another number for that kid. He called up Tom and finally achieved a conversation with another human being. Tom was happy to hear from him. Shizuo could hear the clink of bowls and heavily accented Russian around his boss's voice. Was it lunch-time already? Christ, he still had half a day ahead of him. Why did time move so slowly?

"Eager to come back to work?" Tom asked.

"You have no idea."

"I hope you got something out of your time off."

It might have had a slight effect on him. There was a noticeable lack of burdening thoughts weighing down his skull. His brain was often filled to bursting with uncontrolled chaos. There was a distinct calm in his head now, not unlike the monotonous noise of the ocean waves. He didn't really get the point – if that was, in fact, the point. The second he touched back down in Ikebukuro, it would all come back to him.

Of course, he didn't make any of this known to Tom. The man was his friend as well as his boss, and Shizuo was raised better than to throw another person's generosity back in their face. If anything, the vacation had taught him something in hindsight: he was lucky to have friends that gave a shit about him. Before he got too sentimental and broke something, Shizuo lit up another cigarette and texted Celty to remind her he was coming home tomorrow.

[Alley's looking forward to your reunion!] she replied, with another overly cute emoji.

He was glad to be returning, if only to assure himself that the dog wouldn't go running off with her new best friend. It was easier to ignore when he had the sea crashing in his ears, but it had been bothering him. He was jealous, fine, yeah, he was big enough to admit that. But, he didn't have to worry anymore. He was going home, taking back his dog, and he wouldn't have to beat the life out of anyone for stealing her.

Alley crashed into his knees and he nearly fell over in the hallway. She jumped up on her hind-legs, licked his chin, and yapped endlessly up at him. If Celty had eyes, he thought she might be moved to tears. Shinra certainly was. It took ten minutes just to get inside the apartment without stepping on Alley as she spun circles around his legs.

What the hell had he been worried about before?

Days later, his routine was finally restored. He'd put two people into intensive care and another was still up in the stratosphere somewhere. He'd made Tom a couple hundred dollars richer and the streets were quick to empty when he was passing through. It was good to be home and better to have his faithful Rottweiler back at his side. It was like he'd never been gone, and he hoped to keep it that way. No more vacations for a good long while. At least, not to places he had to take a plane to get to.

It was after work hours now so, he took Alley down to this park that she apparently liked so much. As expected, he didn't notice much of a change in her reaction to the place. Aside from breaking into her standard grin, he wouldn't have guessed that she liked this place more than she liked anywhere else they walked. Must have just been one of those unspoken things, then.

They wandered around for a while with Alley doing most of the leading, sniffing around the bases of bushes and saying hi to ducks that didn't want to know her. The sun was going down and Shizuo was on his way to the park exit when the other end of the leash came to an abrupt halt. He was jerked back a step, not expecting the sudden dead-weight. Alley was planted like a four-legged tree into the ground, ears up, and wet black nose probing the air. Shizuo tugged lightly on the leash, but she didn't acknowledge it. She was usually good about letting a scent go if he said so, but sometimes she just had to go and follow it. Sighing in resignation, Shizuo let her off the leash and she bolted back into the park.

Sometimes, Shizuo waited where he was and the dog came back shortly with a souvenir in her jaws – a half-eaten burger, a lost shoe, etc. Other times, she took a while and he had to go follow her, only to find she'd been distracted from her chase by a strange she was determined to make friends with. Today was the latter, but when he followed her trail, it wasn't a stranger she'd found.

"Oh hey, Shizu-chan! Back so soon?"

This was an absolute nightmare. If there were such a thing as the gods, then they had forsaken him. The dog was a traitor. She'd rolled over and turned on him for a belly-rub. Where had he gone so horribly wrong? And Izaya knew it, too. He could see it on his stupid, smarmy face. Ha ha, your dog likes me. What are you going to do about it?

Shizuo glared at his nemesis and then, at the dog. She looked at him from upside-down in total blissful ignorance, one hind-leg thumping at the air as Izaya's nails raked across her stomach. "I raised you better than this," his glare said. He got a blank, tongue-lolling grin in response.

"Heard you were on vacation," Izaya said to fill the silence. "This city's a whole lot nicer without you."

"You should give it a try some time."

"And abandon my people? I could never do that. They'd miss me too much. Kind of like your dog here."

If you were buried a thousand leagues beneath the ocean's darkest, coldest, slimiest trench, not a single soul on this planet would miss your skinny ass. He was right on the verge of saying it before the flea guilted him with his dog. Not that he should have felt guilty. He'd done everything right and Alley had been just as happy while he was gone as when he was home. Nevertheless, there was something about the way Izaya said it that made him doubt what he knew to be true. The lazy lap of the sea must have blunted Shizuo's mind if he was letting the broker get in his head like that.

Not wanting to suffer Izaya's manipulations a second longer, Shizuo whistled for Alley. It was a sharp, angry sound, but she trotted up to him as if it'd been as chipper as a songbird. He clicked the leash back onto her collar and turned to beat a hasty retreat. He couldn't exactly tear up the park, trying to kill Izaya, when he had no one to watch the dog. He'd have to let the snake live for one more day, damnit! Alley wasn't making it easy for him, though. She started whining when she realized they were leaving so soon, and when he didn't heed her plaintive call, she sat down like a ship's anchor and jerked him back to a stop.

"Seriously?" he growled at her.

Seriously, her stubborn face said, and she padded back to Izaya, dragging Shizuo with his heels in the dirt behind her. Izaya laughed around a mouthful of sushi. He'd been lounging on a brick ledge when Alley had sniffed him out, picking at take-out beneath one of the park's trees. Maybe it was the tuna she wanted and not, in fact, the testament to human garbage eating it. If the flea was stupid enough to poison his dog with raw fish, there wouldn't be a second's more delay in his death. Alley sat at his feet and just gazed up at him, panting happily.

"And here I thought dogs were supposed to be so loyal," Izaya chirped, purposefully scratching her behind the ears and making Shizuo's skin crawl. "Bad luck, Shizu-chan. I'm sure someday you'll land a woman that doesn't want to leave you for a better man."

He could snap his throat like a stick if he were quick enough. It could be so easy. One simple crack and there would be one less shit-stain on the world, blotting out humanity. But, he knew how it would end if he tried. He'd reach, Izaya would slip through his fingers like oil, and he'd find a switchblade in his back. Also it would upset the dog. He couldn't do that to her, no matter how much he was kind of hating her guts right now.

"Stop touching my dog," he warned through his teeth.

Izaya lifted a brow in challenge and did nothing of the sort. Alley was gulping up the attention like kibble. Total sell-out. Shizuo didn't get this. Weren't animals supposed to have a sixth sense about people? Weren't they supposed to know trash when they stepped in it? They could sense hurricanes coming from miles away and be on high ground hours before the storm hit. And yet, they couldn't pick the Devil himself out of a crowd? For a Rottweiler, Alley would make the worst guard dog.

"Enjoy your little island getaway?" Izaya asked, conversationally.

"Keeping tabs on me, flea?"

"If Celty qualifies as a tab-keeper, then…"

Shizuo suddenly jerked Alley back on her leash, earning him a disgruntled yelp. What the fuck was Celty doing, telling this scumbag where he'd been? They weren't even friends! Just because he kept leeching off of Shinra didn't make them friends by association. Why was she talking to him?

Shizuo wasn't stupid, but things didn't come lightning-fast to him. It took him some time to see a picture out of bits n' pieces and math had never been his best subject. He couldn't add things up and known the answer right away. It took some problem-solving, but he could come to the same conclusions as quicker people. Which is where he found himself now, catching up to the equation.

Izaya popped another piece of sushi into his mouth, watching Shizuo's brain comprehend all across his face. It was such a rare and priceless sight, watching thought grace such a thoughtless beast. It almost made suffering his company actually bearable.

"You're the friend." Shizuo said it like a curse, through teeth so tightly clenched that the veins along the sides of his head grew more prominent.

"Besties," Izaya sang in confirmation.

Things that Shizuo hadn't noticed about Celty's reports at first suddenly made a lot of sense. Like how she'd deliberately avoided pronouns when referring to her "friend." And like how when he'd confronted her about this person, she'd referred to their Raira enrollment in the past tense. How she'd been so frantic about avoiding him catching a glance of this "friend" in the background. Technically, Celty had never really lied to him. He hadn't asked for a name so, she never gave him one. Lies by omission. It didn't make him any less angry.

Sensing more weight adding to the tension than she was comfortable with, Alley barked once to cut through it. Remembering the dog forced Shizuo to remember other things. If he had been worried about Shinra using Alley in some misguided experiment, then he went cold all over imaging what Izaya could have done to her.

…But, he hadn't.

And that's where Shizuo's slow-churning thoughts ground to a halt. Alley had been at her happiest after visits with Izaya. The informant had a whole week to ensure that wasn't so. Shizuo would never understand why Shinra or Celty continued to associate with Izaya, but at least they had enough sense afforded to them not to trust him. They'd never left Alley alone with anyone but themselves. However, if Izaya really, really wanted to stick it to Shizuo, he could have found a way to steal her out from under her guardians and done something horrible to her. But, he hadn't.

Maybe that was the point. Maybe whatever twisted vengeance Izaya was overdue for exacting on him was not in the harm he did to his dog, but the lack of it. Alley was almost as in love with him as she was with Shizuo. That was an even crueler punishment than any injury inflicted upon the dog. He wouldn't put something that convoluted and despicable past Izaya.

"Try not to think too much," Izaya said. "You might short-circuit."

Izaya folded up the empty carton of sushi and tossed it into the nearest garbage can. He hopped to his feet and shook out his coat. Every move he made, Alley watched with rapt attention. Izaya glanced briefly down at her adoring face before pointedly looking anywhere else, particularly setting his sneaky, smiling glare on Shizuo.

"While this has been as delightful as it's ever been, I'm afraid I must be off, Shizu-chan. I know you missed me while you were away, but the feeling isn't mutual. Sayonara!"

He turned to leave and Alley, immediately, started to whimper. The most imperceptible cringe bunched up Izaya's shoulders, and that tiny reflex made Shizuo's thoughts start marching again.

"How'd you know to take her to the park?"

The question forced Izaya to swivel back around. He pulled on the most bored expression he had in his arsenal of fake faces.

"It was you who told Celty to take her to this park, right?" Shizuo clarified. "How'd you know that?"

"I know things. It's my job."

"That includes dogs?"

Izaya's eyes narrowed. He was on the other side of the question and answer game, and he hated it. He was out of his element over there. He couldn't calculate when he didn't already have the answer. Whatever this thing was that he had with the dog, Shizuo was starting to think he hadn't been able to calculate that, at all. Izaya saw the assumption in Shizuo's eyes: "You're just as in love with my dog as she is with you." Whatever that meant for Izaya, he didn't like Shizuo knowing it.

He turned to try and escape again. Alley whimpered again. Izaya cringed, groaned, and spun back around. He crouched down to the dog's level and patted her head. "Stop crying. I'll see you soon," he told her. Alley barked, happy to get a proper goodbye. Then, he bolted back to his feet and walked, briskly, away.

"Your dog's dumb and so are you!" he shouted over his shoulder.

"Half of that statement is true," Shizuo mumbled, glaring down at said dog.

Alley didn't seem to care. As far as she was concerned, she just won herself two daddies.

A/N: This is a birthday present for my partner in shipping crime, Lux Remanet! Although, this is probably more frenemy than shippy, I hope it fulfills all your puppy-lovin' needs, at least! And I hope you have a perfect birthday, buddy! You deserve the best!