Shizuo felt like a major asshole.

Izaya hadn't been trying to trick him, he was really trying to make a truce… And what had the blonde done? He had knocked him out.

All he could think about was the fact that he had thrown a vending machine at the man and left him unconscious in the street. Sure, he had thrown worse things at him… But he usually never managed to hit him!

He and Celty had gone back to where the incident occurred as soon as Shizuo realized the misdeeds of his actions, but Izaya was gone. The only sign of where he had been was the small dried splotch of blood on the alleyway floor.

This made Shizuo panic even more, and made Celty even angrier. The only thing that stopped either of them from doing something reckless was a call from Shinra.

Celty tore her phone out of her pocket, slamming her finger down on the answer and speaker buttons. Shizuo came to her side, worriedly asking,"What is it?"

"You guys can calm down! I have good news!" Shinra happily said,"I just got a message from Izaya asking for me to come to his apartment. I'll head over there now!"

The duo's shoulders slumped in relief, that meant Izaya was awake and somewhere safe. But, a thought occurred to the blonde.

"Wait… He's asking you to come to his apartment… D- Did I hurt him that bad?" He nervously questioned.

He could practically hear the eye roll over the phone. "Shizuo, you hit him with a vending machine." The doctor bluntly declared.

Shizuo sputtered for several seconds, his cheeks turning progressively red as he tried to come up with a response. Realizing very quickly that he wasn't exactly the person in the right, he quickly asked,"Can you tell him I'm sorry?"

"No," Shinra firmly replied, surprising both of them with his tone. "Shizuo, you can't do that over the phone. You made a mistake, you have to be the one to fix it."

With those strong words, Shinra hung up and left Shizuo with a feeling of relief and guilt all mixed together. He needed to apologize and accept the truce, he would never feel better until he did.

Turning to Celty, he swallowed down the lump in his throat and asked,"Do you know where Izaya lives? I need- I need to apologize."

Celty stared at him for what felt like an eternity before finally writing her response.[I do...] She said.[But… I'm not going to tell you.]

"What!?" Shizuo exclaimed in disbelief. "Why not!? Celty, I just want to apologize to him! That's it!"

[I know you do, but I think you need to wait a bit before you do that] Celty stated. [And I'm not telling you where he is without Izaya's permission. It's his home after all. And after what you did, I don't think he'd feel comfortable having you know where he lives.]

"But-" Shizuo tried, but didn't get farther than that.

[If Izaya had come up to me and asked me for your address one week ago, would you have wanted me to give it to him?] She asked.

The debt collector's mouth, which had already been prepared to continue the argument, quickly shut. "No…" He muttered under his breath. "I would have gotten pretty angry if you had given it to him…"

Celty nodded firmly in agreement. [Exactly] She said. [And that's how Izaya would feel right now, considering that you knocked him out and left him in an alleyway.]

"Fine…" He growled out, letting his shoulders fall out of their tense state. "I'll wait… It's the least I could do."

Celty nodded in what seemed like an approving way. [That's all I ask for, Shizuo] She replied.

The dullahan soon after got on her motorcycle again and drove off, Shizuo having decided to walk himself home and clear his head.

Yeah, Izaya probably didn't want to see him. Shinra and Celty were right, he needed to give the raven some time. He could do that, he could be patient.

Three Weeks Later

Being patient was much harder than Shizuo thought.

Even though it had only been a few weeks, the guilt was tearing Shizuo apart. He kept thinking about the picture Celty showed him, and the fact that Izaya had genuinely been trying to create a truce.

"But surely I'm in the right, right?" Shizuo asked Tom one day. "Izaya has always tricked people, I had more than enough reason to not trust him, right? Right?"

Tom, who had heard the whole story, shrugged. "Well, you're sort of right. You didn't really have to trust Izaya. But if it turned out he had been lying, and you hit him with the vending machine, then wouldn't you be doing exactly what he wanted?"

His senpai was right, but that only made Shizuo even more frustrated. It truly didn't matter if Izaya had been lying or not, either way the debt collector had been in the wrong. Hopefully Izaya would give him the chance to apologize.

But that day never seemed to come. Anytime he asked Celty about it, she would tell him that Izaya didn't say she could tell Shizuo about where he lived. Shizuo was starting to wonder if that day would ever come. Maybe it was too late, and he had already destroyed any chance at a truce.

"Hi, Shizuo! Tom!" Simon's cheerful voice broke through his mind's frantic ramblings. He looked up, seeing the man standing outside his restaurant.

"Hello Simon!" Tom cheerfully said,"Lovely day, isn't it?"

Simon grinned widely. "Yes, it is a lovely day for sushi!" He responded,"Want some? Discount for each of you!"

Tom looked towards Shizuo, who gave a weak shrug. He didn't really care either way. Tom seemed to take this as agreement, as the man turned towards Simon and said,"We're ready for our break anyway, might as well!"

So, Simon led them inside and were instantly given a feast of sushi at a huge discount. Sometimes I wonder how Simon stays in business with how many discounts he gives. Shizuo thought quietly, poking at the sushi with his chopsticks.

After watching the display for an annoyingly long time, Tom sighed and dropped his chopsticks into his bowl. "Shizuo, you have to stop letting this Izaya stuff beat you up," He said,"You'll get the address eventually."

"Not if he doesn't trust me, especially after I beat him up like that," Shizuo darkly muttered,"I'll be lucky if he even wants to keep the truce."

Tom sighed and went back to eating, as if knowing it was a lost cause. Thankfully, they were saved from another awkward silence as Simon walked back in with even more food. "More sushi, and got a special delivery!" He cheerfully said.

Next to Shizuo's nearly untouched plates of food, Simon put down a small box. "One order of fatty tuna," He said,"And an address to take it to." He put a small strip of paper on top of the box.

"What?" Shizuo confusedly asked, reaching out and picking up the paper. He looked over the scrawled address several times before finally catching on. "This is… Izaya's?"

Simon nodded, that large smile still on his face. "Yes! Go ahead, Shizuo, deliver it to Izaya-kun," He said,"Use sushi as a peace offering, fresh today fish!. Izaya-kun can't resist fatty tuna."

"I shouldn't, Simon. He doesn't want to see me, he's scared of me.." Shizuo sadly stated, pushing the box away again.

The large man shook his head. "Not scared for himself, scared for Haru," Simon said,"Just like any parents would be. Doesn't want Haru to be hurt, but you won't hurt Haru. The only way to show him that is to show him, Shizuo."

Tom nodded in agreement. "This might be your only chance for a while, Shizuo," He said. "I'll take the last clients by myself, they're the ones we've dealt with before, I'll be fine."

Shizuo sighed, he didn't like this idea, but it was the only idea he had. "Fine," He grumbled. "But if this goes bad, I'm blaming both of you."

He grabbed the box and the piece of paper, and headed out of the restaurant. All the while forcing himself to ignore the little sliver of hope that was building up inside of him at the idea that maybe, just maybe, he would be able to fix this.

When he got to the front of the apartment building, he saw that it wasn't at all what he expected. It wasn't some dark and scary fortress, just a simple apartment complex. In fact, it was only a few blocks away from Celty and Shinra's place.

He got to Izaya's door number, noticing that it was under a fake name. I guess that makes sense, he's working with the cops now, and his past makes it smarter to use a fake name. Shizuo thought.

The debt collector stared at the door for a full minute before he managed to gather up the courage to knock. Less than thirty seconds after that, the doorknob turned, and Izaya opened the door.

The second Izaya saw Shizuo, his one eye widened in shock, and he quickly went to shut the door. "Wait!" Shizuo exclaimed, shoving his foot in the door. "Don't shut the door, I just want to talk!"

"Go away!" Izaya responded, shoving the door harder against the offending limb, trying to get the foot out of the doorway.

"No, no! Wait!" Shizuo stuttered out, and held up the box. "I have fatty tuna, a delivery from Simon!"

Izaya stopped his shoving, his one eye narrowing suspiciously. But he was considering it, just like Simon said he would. So, Shizuo sweetened the deal even more. "It's fresh," He said,"Simon called it 'today fish'"

The raven looked between him and the box for a few more seconds before letting out a frustrated sigh. "You can come in," He ground out, opening the door wider.

Shizuo couldn't help but be surprised at the sight of the man, he obviously hadn't been expecting visitors. Izaya was wearing a loose black hoodie and matching sweatpants, his hair a bit messy, and his right arm-

"Why is your arm in a sling?" Shizuo asked curiously, pointing at the cast without any hesitation..

Izaya's frown got even deeper, if that were possible. "Funny story, actually," He sarcastically said,"Someone threw a vending machine at me. Can you imagine that?"

Shizuo's whole face burned red with shame, and he quickly muttered,"S-sorry…" He kept his brown eyes on the ground as he shuffled his shoes off.

The man huffed in annoyance. "Just get in here before I change my mind," He muttered, stalking back into the apartment.

The debt collector followed, finding Izaya sitting cross legged at the table. Shizuo nervously sat across from him, very cautiously pushing the fatty tuna towards the man, and quickly pulling his hand back into his own lap.

As Izaya opened the box with one hand, Shizuo looked around the apartment. He could see toys strewn around, and the few picture frames that showed the little family Izaya had created for himself. Speaking of which...

"S-so… Um… Where's Haru?" Shizuo asked, instantly regretting it. Stupid! Simon literally said he was worried about meeting with me because of Haru! Why are you bringing this up?!

Izaya raised his eyebrow, seemingly confused about how Shizuo could even know about his son. "Celty and Shinra?" He asked. At Shizuo's nod, he seemed to get less suspicious, and replied,"He's down for his nap."

"Oh, Haru takes naps?" Shizuo curiously asked, desperately trying to make conversation about anything.

The raven was not impressed. "He's a one year old baby," Izaya bluntly said,"Yes, he takes naps. Just like every single one year-"

Shizuo let out an angry growl. "I don't know anything about kids, okay?!" He snapped, crossing his arms and muttering under his breath.

Izaya snorted in amusement, making Shizuo bristle. "What?" He asked defensively,"What's so funny?!"

"No, it's not anything mean," Izaya quickly said,"You just sound like I did when I was first taking care of Haru. I had no idea what I was doing."

Oh, good, so I didn't completely fuck up my chances. Shizuo thought in relief, and nervously replied,"Uh.. Yeah. I think new parents always feel like that, I remember my parents saying the same thing."

"I'm sure having you as their first kid didn't help," Izaya said, making Shizuo worry that it was the start of an insult. "Imagine waking up one day and finding out your son picked up a refrigerator."

Shizuo chuckled, hiding his sigh of relief once more. "You know, I never actually thought about that. Kasuka was there when I lifted it, and he didn't even bat an eye," He said.

"Does he ever get surprised by anything?" Izaya asked, quickly adding on a "No offense" after he said the question.

To Shizuo's surprise, he found himself replying,"Oh, none taken. He's just that type of guy, always reserved. I think it's because he had to grow up with me. But I guess I'll never know."

Izaya nodded, biting into the fatty tuna finally. He made a noise of happiness. "Dish' is 'today' fresh," He muttered, quickly shoving the rest into his mouth.

"Ugh, how can you eat that? It's so bitter," Shizuo muttered, cringing at the idea of eating such food all the time.

"How can you eat all those sweets? As if milk wasn't bad enough, Banana and strawberry flavored milk? Seriously?" Izaya challenged,"What are you? A grade schooler?"

"Oi!" Shizuo snapped,"Milk is good for your bones! It's a great source of calcium! Maybe if you drank more milk, your arm wouldn't have broken so easily!"

They glared at each other for several seconds, before both breaking out into a small bubble of laughter.

After taking another bite of the sushi, Izaya smiled and said,"You know, for a protozoan, you've got a pretty sharp tongue."

"And for a flea, you're pretty durable," Shizuo complimented back.

They fell silent again, and the blonde found himself feeling hopeful. This is going better than I thought. Now, time to broach the big bad topic.

"Um… Izaya… I- I'm sorry about… About the vending machine," He quietly said,"You were just trying to start a truce, the thing I've wanted for years, and I didn't believe you."

Izaya, to his surprise, shrugged. "If I was in your shoes, I wouldn't have trusted me either. Although, I wouldn't have thrown a vending machine, because if it really was a trick you would have-"

"I would have just been doing you wanted in the first place, yeah I already got that lecture from several people, I don't need it from you too," Shizuo quickly interrupted.

The raven chuckled, setting down his chopsticks. "Well, I forgive you," Izaya calmly said,"But you really don't have to apologize. If anything, I should be the one apologizing. I was a little shit to you since high school, I never let you have any peace. I know an apology can't fix that, but I am sorry."

Shizuo nodded. "I.. I accept your apology, too," He said,"Besides, I was the one who said I didn't like you in the beginning. And most of those jobs I lost because of my temper. I'm still upset about the bartender job, but I forgive you."

"So… Truce?" Izaya hesitantly asked, holding out his left hand.

Shizuo could see the nervousness still hidden in Izaya's eye, and this time he wouldn't break the fragile hope. He reached out, taking Izaya's hand in his own and shaking it. "Truce," He agreed.

They shook on it with a smile, and Izaya eagerly went back to his sushi. "Hey, is it too late to add a rule to the truce that you have to deliver me sushi? That would make this whole truce thing even more enjoyable," He asked.

Shizuo snorted. "Eh? So you get delivered sushi all the time? And what would be in it for me?" He demanded.

Izaya grinned mischievously, placing his hand on his chest. "You would get the honor of basking in my glorious presence!" He dramatically said.

"I'd rather break the truce," Shizuo said in a serious tone, making Izaya gasp and place a hand on his chest, as if in pain.

"I'm hurt, Shizu-chan-" He gasped, stopping himself. "Ah, I'm sorry, I shouldn't call you- I'm sorry-"

The debt collector quickly shook his head. "No, no, it's fine," Shizuo quickly said,"I mean, it's a habit at this point, right? Habits are hard to break, flea."

Izaya smiled, he knew very well that Shizuo had called him that just to prove his point, but the raven still appreciate it nonetheless. With a small smile on his face, he said,"You're right… Protozoan."

"Louse." Shizuo teased back.

They both let relieved smiles grow on their faces. They finally had a truce, and it seemed like things were finally going to be okay between them.

"Iza-Iza! Come on! If you don't buy the correct manga, then how will Haru ever become a cultured member of society?" Erika asked, secretly trying to shove a manga into the shopping bag.

Izaya sighed and rolled his eyes. "Erika, he can't even read yet," He pointed out, holding the shopping bag closer.

"Yeah, and he asked for our help with shopping, not manga," Kadota said, snatching it from the girls hand.

Erika huffed in annoyance. "Whatever!" She haughtily said,"You guys just don't appreciate my true- Eek!"

Kadota looked up and found himself gasping in fear. Crossing the street ahead of them was none other than Heiwajima Shizuo. Oh fuck… The man thought. How are we supposed to get out of this one?

Shizuo and Izaya stared at each other for several long, terrifying seconds before Shizuo turned to face them. He stalked forwards, his hands clenched tightly into fists. "I-za-ya~!" He growled out loud.

"Hello, Shizu-chan~!" Izaya cheerfully responded, making Kadota panic even more. What are you doing?! Why are you taunting him?! He wondered in terror.

The blonde continued stalking forward, coming face to face with Izaya, only inches away. He started to pull his hand back, and Kadota frantically reached for Izaya, ready to pull him out of harm's way as Shizuo's arm shot forward-

With a… Bottle of milk?

"Here, flea, this is for Haru," Shizuo said, reaching back again, and bringing out another one. "And this one is for you, to help fix your stupid arm."

Izaya grinned, holding out the shopping back and letting Shizuo drop them in with a gentle smile. "Thank you, Shizu-chan," He replied with no malice. "How much was it? I'll pay you back."

"Don't worry about it," Shizuo said calmly, shoving his hands in his pockets and then looking at their spectators. "Yo, Kadota, Erika, how have you been?"

Kadota's mind finally caught up with him, and his eyes widened in shock. "You… You punks!" He snapped,"You made a truce without telling me?! I was terrified!"

Izaya burst into a peal of giggles. "That was the point, Dota-chin! You should have seen your face!" He replied, elbowing Shizuo. "See, Shizu-chan? I told you that would be funny!"

"It was pretty funny," Shizuo agreed, a mischievous smile crawling up onto his own face as well.

Kadota's angry frown went away slowly, getting replaced with a small smile. "Huh, Izaya and Shizuo pranking me together. Never thought I'd see the day," He casually said.

Erika let out a loud squeal of excitement. "I knew it! I knew this day would come!" She said,"Today it's planning to prank against Dota-chin, tomorrow it will be planning their wedding!"

"Erika!" Kadota snapped, like a parent to a child. "Stop it!"

The cringing raven quickly turned to Shizuo once more. "Maybe we shouldn't have told them," Izaya casually said.

"Yeah maybe we should call of the truce, something is making me already have regrets," Shizuo agreed.

At Erika's horrified screech, the former enemies started laughing once more. This time Kadota ended up joining in. Erika's face turned red with embarrassment, and she stomped her foot against the ground. "You three are just a bunch of big jerks!" She cried.

Kadota rolled his eyes. "Erika, it's okay, we'll stop messing with you," He promised, wanting to stop her tantrum from going any further.

Erika still seemed upset, but it calmed her down enough for Kadota. The beanie-clad man turned back towards Izaya and Shizuo, a smile on his face. "I'm just glad to see you guys getting along now," He said,"The city will be a lot safer with you two on the same side."

The woman next to them giggled. "Yeah!" She agreed,"After all, love is the most powerful weapon of all!"

"ERIKA!"