You guys, I am so unbelievably sorry for my absence ;; Especially after the overwhelming response I got to chapter 17 (seriously, my heart probably exploded about a million times reading all of the lovely comments you all left me, holy snap. You readers are way more than I deserve, and I really adore you guys ;u; Thank you for sticking with a weirdo like me!)... There's an explanation after the chapter for why I was MIA for so long, but for now:

Disclaimer: If I owned DRRR!, there wouldn't be any official body pillows D: Just thinking about the things that will be done to those poor pillow!Shizuos and Izayas makes me sad orz

"But I hated you," responded Shizuo softly.

As soon as the words were spoken, he wished he could take them back, Izaya's expression tensing with something akin to pain at the memory. But the informant took a deep breath and sighed.

"We've already been through this," he teased awkwardly, and a thrill of warmth ran acrƒoss Shizuo's skin as the brunet's hand shifted so it lay flat against his chest while Izaya spoke.

"It doesn't matter what we thought we felt, right? I understand what I was feeling towards you now and why it made me act the way I did. There's no use in dwelling on the past," Izaya said with a shrug.

"How do you–"

With his free hand, Izaya hurriedly covered Shizuo's mouth before yet another question could spill past the blond's lips. Though his eyebrows were drawn down in irritation, the tiny smirk on the informant's face betrayed his amusement.

"Ne, Shizu-chan, what's with all the questions? Protozoans should just accept what they're told."

Shizuo growled and muttered something against Izaya's hand, the movement of his lips against the smaller man's palm causing him to shiver slightly. Izaya was painfully aware of the way his heart hammered in his chest due to his proximity to Shizuo, but he did his best to hide his embarrassment. It wouldn't do for the bodyguard to know just how easily he could undo one of Japan's most notorious informants.

"What was that?" asked Izaya, removing his hand so that Shizuo could repeat himself.

"I said," grumbled the blond, "that I'm sorry I don't understand how you could ever…" he trailed off uncertainly, the blush on his face more than enough for Izaya to figure out what the brute had been about to say.

"How I could ever love you, Shizu-chan?"

Somehow, the flea made the word sound like a curse. Confused, Shizuo wanted to ask what the hell had brought on the sudden bitterness after Izaya had seemed to be in such an oddly un-Izaya mood, but the informant was threading his fingers in his blond hair now, effectively derailing his thoughts of further questioning the smaller man.

"Words are beyond a feeble-minded brute such as yourself, I see. I'll just have to show you," said Izaya in exasperation.

And with that, he pulled Shizuo down so that their lips could connect.

Shizuo's eyes widened in surprise at the bold move, stunned. It was only when the tip of Izaya's tongue grazed his bottom lip that the blond allowed his eyes to flutter shut as he parted his lips for the informant. Izaya hummed approvingly at the response, and his grip on Shizuo's hair grew almost viselike when the bodyguard ran one of his hands down to the small of his back to pull him closer.

There was a lot Shizuo knew that the two of them still had to discuss, so many questions he still wanted to ask, but for now he would let himself be carried away by Izaya's desire to prove his love.

Forced by the necessity for oxygen, the two broke away for a moment to catch their breath, and Shizuo was taken aback by the passionate haze in Izaya's eyes as the informant caught his gaze. The flea's heart was beating so fiercely against him that Shizuo felt as though Izaya's heartbeat had become his own, drowning out any other sensations until the only thing the ex-bartender could focus on was the smaller man he held in his arms.

Seeing that this might be the last time he would get to make any sort of protest, Shizuo spoke up.

"Izaya, are you sure you want this?" he asked, trying to will away the breathless quality of his voice.

Izaya's eyes narrowed in a way that was very familiar to Shizuo, and the blond would have thought that the two of them were standing across from each other on the streets of Ikebukuro, locked in one of their violent battles, were it not for the fact that there was no hatred or anger in the flea's expression.

"C'mon, Shizu-chan," grumbled Izaya in clipped tones, "You always complain about how I never shut up."

"I'm being serious. Do you really want this? Do you really want…" – that fading blush was back on Shizuo's face – "me?"

Izaya had the resilience to look peeved for a moment longer, and Shizuo thought that the informant might make another smart, evasive remark, but those hands now resting on the back of his neck pulled him down once more into another kiss with the brunet.

Shizuo sighed with a mixture of relief and gratitude when he felt those soft, warm lips on his again, and he instantly urged them apart with his tongue so that he could explore the increasingly familiar mouth. His sigh turned into a soft groan as Izaya's tongue danced with his own, shoving back against Shizuo's with every thrust and teasing stroke.

Focused entirely upon the wonderful gasps and whines the informant was making as Shizuo sucked on his tongue, the ex-bartender didn't notice that he and Izaya were stumbling backwards until Izaya was pinned against the door of his apartment. The two were now pressed lip to lip, heart to heart, and hip to hip, but Shizuo wanted to be closer.

He needed more contact; he needed to feel more of Izaya.

His hands traveled from where they had been smashed between the small of the informant's back and the door, ghosting over Izaya's ass before gripping his thighs and hoisting him up. With a satisfied groan, Izaya wrapped his legs around Shizuo's waist, his nails scratching at the blond's neck.

Shizuo pulled away from Izaya to catch his breath, his body shivering as he panted. His pale gaze met Izaya's, and the need within him flared painfully at the sight of the informant.

Izaya's eyes were glimmering nearly the same deep red color they had in Shizuo's dream what seemed like so many nights ago, and his eyelids were heavy with lust as he looked down at the man holding him, his abused, pink lips parted as he also tried to regain some of the air Shizuo had stolen from his lungs.

And yet there was just the ghost of that shit-eating grin on Izaya's face. What had previously been an expression that enraged Shizuo, sending him into fits of rage, now made his desire to touch the informant that much stronger, as though all of that old violence had been morphed into passion.

Burying his face in the crook of Izaya's neck, Shizuo set to licking and biting every patch of skin in sight, his tongue traveling slowly along the other man's pale flesh as he reveled in the taste that was so perfectly Izaya.

With every scrape of teeth or the swipe of Shizuo's tongue across his neck, Izaya emitted a soft gasp, each increasing in volume until the informant finally bit down on his bottom lip to stop the embarrassing noises.

Shizuo smirked at the unspoken challenge. So Izaya wanted to keep quiet, huh? The flea was far too proud.

"Izaya-kun," purred Shizuo against the brunet's skin, loving the way Izaya shook at the sound.

"You were so vocal last time. Why hold back now?"

Izaya scowled, but even his expression of frustration was cute.

"I remember no such thing, you ridiculous neanderthah!"

The informant was forced to break off with a gasp when Shizuo's hips suddenly snapped up into his, the blond's clothed arousal rubbing against Izaya's ass. Shizuo groaned softly and repeated the motion, nuzzling his face against Izaya's neck as he soaked in the pleased sounds coming from the other man's throat. The feel of Izaya tightening the grip his legs had around Shizuo's waist spurred the bodyguard on, and soon enough he and the informant had set a frantic rhythm to the grinding of their hips, the muffled thud of Izaya's shoulders against the door little more than background noise.

"Need you so bad…" growled Shizuo, punctuating this remark with a particularly sharp bite to Izaya's abused throat.

"You– hnn…! already have me, idiot," Izaya teased with a great amount of effort.

Another harsh thrust of hips against hips. Izaya's fingernails dug into the back of Shizuo's neck, and a pleased shudder racked the brunet's slender body as the friction of Shizuo's stomach rubbing against his arousal intensified.

"Not enough," was the blond's eloquent rebuttal.

Before Izaya could taunt the other for his caveman-like way of speech or his animalistic lust (because Shizuo knew there was definitely a taunt coming by the way the flea huffed at him), a hand found its way between the two of them and was working to pull down the informant's zipper. Izaya gave a small whine at this, and halted Shizuo's progress by grabbing the blond's wrist tightly.

"Ah, Sh-shizu-chan," Izaya murmured, his eyelids fluttering as Shizuo continued to assault his neck.

"Hmm?"

"Don't you think we should move to the bed if we're going to do this? My confidence in your ability to fuck me while standing is somewhat lacking, what with the nnah…" – Shizuo was nipping a line along Izaya's jaw now, his smoldering gaze locking with the informant's and challenging him to continue; Izaya never turned down a challenge – "way you seem to have such… diffah! difficulty with walking and talking."

The former bartender paused in his ministrations, peering at Izaya curiously. Izaya glanced away in obvious discomfort, the blush on his face intensifying as he stared unseeingly down the hallway at where Iza-chan was just walking by.

Shizuo smiled at the flea's insult, a poorly veiled request. He had almost forgotten that this was Izaya's first time, too, but he would have thought the informant wouldn't care where they had sex. Shizuo had never pegged Izaya as one of those more traditional types.

"What the hell are you grinning at?" snapped Izaya.

He was looking at Shizuo again, glaring at him with all his might. The shy blush across his face wasn't doing anything to help his intimidating act, though, and Shizuo only found himself grinning even more widely.

"You're too cute," Shizuo chuckled, and the informant's expression grew sourer.

Izaya appeared as though he were about to make a snide retort, but Shizuo pulled him away from the door, and the brunet made a faint hum of panic as he tightened his hold on Shizuo to keep from falling, thoughts of insulting the bodyguard forgotten for now.

"And for the record, I'm not fucking you," said Shizuo suddenly as he shoved the door to his room open with one of his feet, arms currently occupied with keeping the informant's body against his.

"Oh, Shizu-chan's going to let me fuck him? I never thought you to be a bottom, but you've always been unpredictable," Izaya said.

Meanwhile, Shizuo was wondering how the hell the flea kept that sly look on his face while his still-clothed erection was rubbing against Shizuo's stomach with every shift of their bodies.

"Haa? That's not what I meant, louse," Shizuo grumbled when they finally reached the edge of his bed.

And then, his eyebrows furrowing as though he were mustering all the courage in his being, added:

"I want to…"

His mumbling grew even more inaudible, and Izaya cocked his head to the side as he lowered himself down onto the edge of the bed.

"Excuse me?"

Shizuo fidgeted with the button at the wrist of one of his sleeves, looking anywhere and everywhere but at the informant. Now he supposed he knew how Izaya had been feeling; this was a little embarrassing…

But this was Orihara Izaya, and after years of being lifelong enemies, even if they had become much more lately, Shizuo refused to show him his weakness.

"I want to make love to you," he said, looking Izaya straight in the eye.

The informant was stunned into silence for a moment, and Shizuo couldn't help but feel a little proud of himself for causing Izaya to be at a loss for words. Izaya recovered quickly, though, the peculiar, surprised expression on his face replaced by amusement as he laughed.

"I never thought protozoans cared much for semantics," he giggled, "But have it your way. Fucking, sex, making love, it's all the same to–"

Shizuo captured the annoying informant's lips once more before he could finish his sentence, not wanting to hear whatever stupid argument Izaya had to make about Shizuo's word choice. Besides, there was a difference between the two.

Shizuo would just have to show him.

He crawled onto the bed with the brunet – still connected at the lips – which forced Izaya to scoot back to make room for him, one of his hands working its way back into Shizuo's hair.

While Izaya was distracted with Shizuo's tongue running along his, groaning softly into the blond's mouth, the ex-bartender snuck his hands beneath the hem of Izaya's black shirt, trailing his fingers up the smaller man's sides.

Izaya shivered at the touch and only clutched Shizuo more tightly. The kiss was quickly becoming frantic as Shizuo's hands roamed along the informant's back, his flat stomach, his hips–

"Ah! Shizu-chan?" Izaya breathed, his mouth finally separating from Shizuo's though his arms still remained firmly entwined around the other's neck.

"Mm?"

The blond had now set himself to the task of covering Izaya's neck and collarbones in love bites, but Izaya could tell by the way Shizuo's pale eyes flickered up to his that he had the other's attention.

"Lay down."

Delighting in the way Shizuo's red blush came back in full force, Izaya couldn't help but smirk. Had all of the ex-bartender's confidence just been a front?

"Why?" he asked, suddenly wary and further worried by the way Izaya's smirk only became more devious.

"Didn't I ask you to cut it out with all of the questions~?" the informant teased, "I promise you'll like it."

His heart fluttered stupidly when Shizuo reluctantly moved off of him to lay down on his back, that blush an ever present fixture on his handsome face. By the way Shizuo took such a suspicious command from the informant without genuinely questioning his intentions, Izaya could tell that the brute definitely trusted him more than he had thought.

Feeling light at the thought, Izaya crawled over the blond, hoping to whatever powers there might have been that Shizuo couldn't hear the pounding of his heart as he stared down at his former enemy.

The way Shizuo's hazy eyes were watching him, burning with lust and affection, caused Izaya to hesitate, and it was as though the muscle pounding beneath his ribs skipped several beats.

He finally had him.

Izaya snapped out of whatever trance he had fallen into, seeming to remember Shizuo was laying beneath him (though how he could have forgotten, the blond couldn't fathom).

"Ne, Shizu-chan?" the brunet hummed, cocking his head the side slightly as he leaned down so that he and Shizuo were practically nose-to-nose.

"What, flea?"

Just from the mischievous look in Izaya's eyes, Shizuo could tell that he wasn't going to like the louse's next request. Because, yes, it was definitely going to be another request; Izaya wouldn't look so amused if it were something sweet and innocent.

Not that he believed Izaya to be capable of doing anything sweet and innocent anyway.

"Close your eyes~"

Shizuo stared up at the other, certain that Izaya was going to do something weird.

But then the informant ran the bridge of his nose along Shizuo's jaw before pressing a line of insistent nips against the skin. He shifted so that more of his weight was settled right above the ex-bartender's aching erection.

"Please?" he breathed.

Shizuo couldn't close his eyes fast enough.

Were his mind focused anywhere but on the beautiful man straddling him, Shizuo would have laughed at the ridiculous contrast between their past and their present situations. His throat constricted with some unnamed emotion when he heard Izaya take a deep, steadying breath.

Was it love that was making him feel warm and restless?

Izaya's lips found the sensitive juncture of his neck and shoulder, and he shivered as the informant gently nipped at his skin, both fascinated and amused by how hesitant Izaya was being about the whole thing. Sure, the flea had said he'd never done this before, but Shizuo had thought that the devious brunet would have been more confident.

The way those delicate hands worked over Shizuo's body now as they moved closer and closer to the hem of his black pants spoke only of self-consciousness. Izaya wanted to do this right, or at least as best he knew how.

Shizuo could almost feel the informant's searching gaze on him before those hands suddenly undid his pants.

"Flea, what're y– ah…!"

While he had let his mind be momentarily distracted by thoughts of what Izaya was planning to do as he had his eyes shut, the informant had shimmied down his body, unbuttoning Shizuo's weskit and pushing his shirt up so that he could plant shy little kisses down the bodyguard's torso as he moved. Shizuo's back had already been arching into that soft touch, but what had caused his line of thought to break off so suddenly was the hand that had found itself in his boxers and was now palming his erection.

"See, Shizu-chan? I said you'd like it," Izaya giggled, and a shiver raced up his spine when he realized how close Izaya's mouth had gotten to the bulge in his boxers.

W-was he going to…?

He swallowed with some difficulty at the thought. Izaya had said that he'd fooled around a bit. Was this what he meant?

The hand already teasing his cock was joined by the other as Izaya pulled down the elastic waistband of the blond's boxers, and the cool air against Shizuo's hot flesh caused him to shudder only momentarily, as Izaya's warm breath was on him soon enough, those sweet lips hovering just over the swollen flesh.

"Izaya," Shizuo spoke clearly, fighting passed the lump of anticipation in his throat.

"Yes, Shi-zu-chan~?" Izaya replied.

Each syllable was a tortuous breath against his erection.

"Y-you really don't have to do this," continued the blond, remembering to keep his eyes closed even though he knew Izaya was grinning up at him.

He wanted to see that mischievous, knowing smile. But he knew he'd lose whatever self-control he still had if he looked.

One of Izaya's fingers teasingly trailed down the side of his erection, causing Shizuo to gasp.

"But I want to."

Any further protests Shizuo wanted to make were silenced when that warm, wet mouth closed around the head of his cock.

"Shit," growled the bodyguard, his eyes finally snapping open to get a good look at what Izaya was doing.

Izaya had probably known that Shizuo wouldn't be able to keep his eyes shut for any longer, a telling smirk gracing the stretched corners of his lips as he locked his gaze with the ex-bartender's. Shizuo's breathing was ragged as Izaya pressed the tip of his tongue against his erection, and the brunet chuckled softly at something he saw in Shizuo's expression, the sound sending pleasurable vibrations through his cock.

"Izaya…" he groaned, one of his hands reaching down to bury itself in Izaya's black hair while his other grasped at the headboard of his bed.

Encouraged by his reactions, Izaya took more of the blond's length in his mouth, eyelids falling closed over his fiery, dark eyes as he focused on what he was doing with his tongue, his lips, even his teeth…

"Nnn… ah!"

The bodyguard arched his back and pressed his head back into the pillows of his bed, unable to stifle a rather embarrassing mewl when Izaya lightly grazed his teeth against the hypersensitive flesh. Izaya glanced up, probably concerned that he might have hurt the other man, but the way Shizuo's mouth now hung open, a thin string of saliva trailing down his jaw line as he stared at Izaya through narrowed eyes erased any worries the informant might've had.

Shizuo knew that he wouldn't last very long with the way Izaya was maneuvering that talented tongue of his along his hot flesh, tiny tremors of pleasure racing up the blond's spine and causing him to tug on Izaya's hair, urging him on. Cooperating for once, Izaya brought his head down until he was nearly deep-throating the other man.

The informant was smirking around the cock in his mouth, and Shizuo thought to ask Izaya what he found so damn amusing, but even if Izaya didn't decide to stop what he was doing in retaliation, he'd have to stop temporarily to respond, and the last thing Shizuo wanted right now was to be deprived of this mind-blowing pleasure.

Soft, wet sounds accompanied Shizuo's breathy moans and whines as Izaya's mouth teased his cock, filling the silence of the room until it was all he could focus on.

Blood was pounding in his eardrums, suddenly deafening him as the muscles in his stomach began to tighten.

"I-Izaya, stop… I'm gonna…!"

The request was so breathy, so feeble that Shizuo feared it would go ignored, but Izaya brought his head up quickly, surprising the blond with an expression that was devoid of any amusement.

Though his heart was still thundering in his chest and tiny jolt of pleasure continued to race across his skin, Shizuo felt himself easing off of the edge.

Licking a small bit of Shizuo's pre-cum from his lips, Izaya smiled and reached one of his hands out, brushing some stray blond locks from Shizuo's eyes. Warmth burned in his normally cold eyes as he watched Shizuo, his head cocking to the side as though he were contemplating his handiwork, but all Shizuo cared about were the gentle fingertips that had come to rest on the side of his face.

And then the moment was gone, Izaya's smirk fixed in place as he moved back up to straddle Shizuo, careful not to brush the other man's still-aching erection as he peered down into the blond's misty eyes.

"Shizu-chan's too cute like this," he purred, leaning down to press a kiss to the side of Shizuo's neck, lips moving down until he was littering the man's collarbones with tiny nips.

Shizuo could only groan in response, letting his eyes slip shut once more as he gave in to the wonderful sensations of Izaya's mouth on his skin, fingers gracing sensitive spots the bodyguard hadn't even known he had. Part of him felt as though he had missed something all of his life by never doing this before, but another part was glad that he had saved his first time for the incorrigible flea that had tormented him since high school.

He couldn't imagine anyone else running their fingers gently beneath the hem of his shirt like Izaya was right now, peppering his skin with kisses, or pressed so close to him that their heartbeat had become one. No one but Izaya could have ever made him feel like this.

The sudden absence of Izaya's hands on him caused Shizuo to open his eyes. Already his body missed the brunet's touch, and he felt as though he were being deprived of something as necessary as oxygen.

He made to ask what the louse was doing now, but Izaya halted his thoughts with an insistent tug on the pants the blond was still wearing.

"Don't want to get these dirty, right, Shizu-chan?" snickered the informant.

Shizuo rolled his eyes, remembering all of the old bartender outfits that Izaya had so carelessly destroyed in the past, but made no comment. The louse would only argue with him, and arguing was one of the last things Shizuo wanted to do right now.

While the ex-bartender squirmed out of his pants, Izaya likewise set himself to the task of removing his clothing. Though his motions were slow and deliberate as he peeled off each layer of clothing, Shizuo could tell that the informant was holding himself back, willing to put off getting what he wanted if it meant he could keep a bit of his pride.

Even when about to have sex, Izaya was almost stubborn to a fault, but where it had infuriated Shizuo before, it now only made the ex-bartender smile. This stupidly stubborn man was about to be his.

Once both of them had rid themselves of their clothing (Izaya still managing to undress faster than Shizuo despite his self-control), Shizuo sat up so that he could reach the other man, his eyes taking in the brunet's slender, beautiful form as he wrapped an arm around Izaya's waist and pulled him closer.

"What's that stupid grin for?" Izaya sneered, likely wanting in on whatever Shizuo was thinking.

Was he really that hard for the flea to read?

Rather than answering in words, the blond pulled Izaya forwards so that he could capture his lips once more, groaning softly at the way the informant's tongue instantly moved to massage his, warm breath causing Shizuo's body to feel unbearably hot.

As soon as they broke away for air, Izaya's face still close to Shizuo's, the brunet's gaze shifted over towards the nightstand by Shizuo's bed. With a wave of embarrassment, Shizuo realized what Izaya was going to ask before the words were even out of his mouth.

"Not that I can think of a time when you would've ever needed it before, but might you have any lube, Shizu-chan~?" Izaya cooed.

Shizuo didn't bother responding to the half-hearted insult, instead stretching across the bed to open the nightstand and retrieve a tiny bottle. Upon seeing the look of surprise on Izaya's face, the blond hurried to explain.

"I thought that I should be prepared. If I ever did bring someone over, I didn't want to hurt them more than I probably already would," he mumbled, unable to meet the informant's eyes.

Izaya laughed softly, and muttered something under his breath that sounded like "Shizu-chan's so sweet" as he snatched the small bottle of lubricant from Shizuo's hand, instantly drawing the blond's focus back to him.

"Wait, what're you doing?" asked Shizuo, a shock of panic running down his spine as Izaya squeezed a generous amount of gel onto his fingers.

"Relax, will you?" Izaya snorted, smirking up at him while he worked the cold lubricant between the pads of his fingers, "I'm not going to do anything to you that you don't want me to. Have a little faith in me."

Shizuo felt like he had heard that exact line fall from the flea's conniving lips before, probably before being stabbed in the stomach, but he forced himself to relax now. Seeing his reluctant cooperation, Izaya smirked, but said nothing, leaning forwards slightly so that the bridge of his nose grazed Shizuo's neck.

The blond's breath hitched when Izaya reached his lube-slicked hand back, fingers running down the end of his spine before slipping between the cheeks of his perfect ass, probing until – with a tiny groan – he found his own entrance.

"Nnn… ah, Shizu-chan…"

Captivated by the other man's actions, Shizuo found himself frozen, his hands twitching beside him on the sheets with the desire to touch. He stiffened when Izaya's eyes fluttered to half-mast, staring up at him with lust, affection, and warmth in his gaze while his hot breath ghosted across Shizuo's skin as a constant reminder that yes, this was reality. Yes, Izaya really did want him.

The informant shivered against him when he found his sweet spot, practically mewling into Shizuo's neck while he thrust his hips back onto his own fingers, little beads of sweat rolling down his skin and causing his hair to stick to his face all the while.

"Shit, Izaya," Shizuo murmured, finally reaching down towards his own dripping erection while he watched the flea prepare himself.

One of Izaya's hands smacked Shizuo's away, and the bodyguard jumped at the sudden contact, painfully aware of how much his body needed Izaya.

"Izaya," he growled.

He was willing to wait if the louse needed to get himself ready, but he couldn't seriously expect Shizuo to not need to do something to control himself.

Izaya fixed him with one of those infuriating smirks, somehow able to look smug and finger fuck himself at the same time.

The informant really was multi-talented.

"Are you ready then?" Izaya purred.

His fingers removed themselves from his entrance to rub the remaining lubricant down Shizuo's erection, and Shizuo jerked his hips upward into the welcome touch, nearly forgetting that he had been asked a question.

"Weren't you the one who was prepping?" he mumbled.

Izaya's smirk morphed into something warmer. Tiny jolts raced through Shizuo's heart at that look, and suddenly the lithe fingers danced up along his erection were no longer just needy and lustful, but caring as well.

"Is that what it looked like?" chuckled the informant, and though there was amusement in his voice, Shizuo could tell that he was no longer mocking, "Maybe I just didn't want to startle my poor, innocent Shizu-chan by taking things too fast."

Shizuo wanted to respond that Izaya was a virgin as well, even if he certainly wasn't innocent, but the brunet was suddenly shifting, his palms pressing down on Shizuo's shoulders while he positioned his stretched opening over the bodyguard's straining erection.

Hazy red eyes lighted back up to Shizuo's, and a shiver ran up his spine at the intensity of Izaya's gaze.

All at once, that delicious heat was engulfing him, Izaya easing himself down onto Shizuo, his breath hitching and legs trembling slightly as he did his best to go slowly both for himself and Shizuo.

Meanwhile, it was all the blond could do from forcing Izaya down. The way the informant's inner walls were twitching around his erection, burning him with that heat, was maddening, but the last thing Shizuo wanted to do was hurt the smaller man, so he stayed absolutely still.

"I-Izaya, are you sure you can…?" Shizuo trailed off awkwardly, not sure how he should word his question without somehow offending the arrogant louse.

Apparently he hadn't been careful enough, because Izaya's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly forced himself down the rest of the way.

"Ah!"

"Shizu-chan… aahn…"

Izaya would never admit it, but the sudden penetration hurt like hell. He squeezed his eyes shut and focused on steadying his breathing, all the while completely aware of the large cock burning him and tearing him from the inside out. Sweaty forehead pressed against Shizuo's shoulder, the informant hoped that his discomfort had gone unnoticed by the debt collector.

Fingers lightly ran down Izaya's spine, sending shivers across the brunet's skin as Shizuo began to rub gentle circles into his back.

"Relax," murmured the blond, his lips tickling the sensitive shell of Izaya's ear and causing him to groan, "I don't want to hurt you."

With a weak nod, Izaya took several deep breaths until the pain had subsided.

Tch, how could he handle vending machines to the head but not something as simple as this? It was embarrassing really.

Opening his eyes once more, the informant glanced up to gauge how well Shizuo was holding up, certain that the other man would start moving any minute now if he didn't. Surprisingly, other than his eyebrows being furrowed with concentration, the brute's expression was calmer than Izaya had ever seen it.

A tiny smile tugged at Izaya's lips at this, and he brought his hands down from where they had tangled themselves in Shizuo's hair to rest on the taller man's shoulders. Taking a single moment to brace himself, Izaya used his grip on the other to pull himself up before coming back down on Shizuo's cock with a breathy gasp.

"Nnng, Izayah," groaned Shizuo, his hands coming down to grasp tightly at Izaya's rocking hips and help him, "So good…"

With the sensation of Shizuo's overheated skin around him and on him and in him, Izaya couldn't help but shudder and moan embarrassingly, his nails digging into the blond's shoulders as Shizuo thrust in with more force than before.

Despite the confidence the informant had felt when he had first decided to try his hand at developing some sort of benevolent relationship between himself and the brute, he had never expected things to work out so well for him.

Even Orihara Izaya could never have predicted that they would end up like this.

Another tiny groan escaped his lips, though it quickly grew in both volume and wantonness when Shizuo ran his tongue along the shell of his ear, pearly teeth nipping at the sensitive lobe as he brought Izaya's hips down on him once more.

Pleasure raced up the informant's spine this time, momentarily blurring his vision and causing him to mewl some terribly maimed rendition of his partner's name.

Shizuo's eyes widened with genuine confusion at this, and his movements stilled. His hands were still clutching Izaya to him as though he were his lifeline, but they were now tense with what the informant was sure was fear that he had somehow harmed him.

"Ah, don't stop…" Izaya panted.

"I didn't hurt you?" Shizuo asked, and Izaya just barely felt the way the man's fingers twitched against his hips with the desire to move again.

A raspy laugh spilled unbidden from Izaya's lips.

How was this man, the terror of Ikebukuro, capable of being so cute?

"Hurt me? Shizu-chan, we're going to get you an anatomy book after this; it felt amazing."

The blond's face colored in both embarrassment and pleasure at this, and Izaya could tell that the brute was struggling for the words needed to respond.

As much as he would have loved to teach Shizuo about the wonders of male anatomy, he decided that it could wait and intercepted further questioning by leaning down so that he could whisper against the debt collector's ear.

"So I'd really like if you did it again, Shizuo," he murmured, his voice low, "Please…"

Be it the use of his real name or the voice with which Izaya made his request, Shizuo did as he was told without another word, his hips snapping up once more into the informant's. One of Shizuo's hands relinquished its hold on Izaya for a moment before settling itself on the back of the brunet's neck and pulling him down for a kiss that started out as more of a frenzied clash of lips and teeth than an affectionate gesture.

Gasping at the combined sensation of having his lower lip nibbled upon and prostate consistently pounded into, it was all Izaya could do to keep his shaking legs moving while he begged the universe that he didn't run out of stamina before either of them came.

Unfortunately for Izaya, today just didn't seem to be one of his luckiest, and it was with a rather pathetic whimper that he stilled. At a loss for what he should do, he leaned against Shizuo's broad shoulders and deepened their previously sloppy kiss, running his tongue along the blond's gently and managing to pry a pleased moan from the other before Shizuo pulled away.

Though Shizuo was just as flushed as Izaya and his skin was glistening with a thin sheen of sweat, the ex-bartender didn't look any worse for wear.

Seriously…?

"Are you too tired to–"

"Shut up," Izaya mumbled, looking away from the other to hide his embarrassment.

He could think that his fooling around in high school gave him a little more sexual experience than Shizuo, but the fact of the matter the he was just as much of a virgin as Shizuo was.

That, and he didn't have any absurd super-human abilities like the blond.

Izaya could've sworn he heard Shizuo chuckle.

"We'll just do it like this, then," the debt collector said comfortingly, wrapping an arm around Izaya's waist as he gently laid him back onto the mattress of his bed.

Heart lurching at the shift in position, the informant squirmed slightly in Shizuo's hold, trying to ignore the way the movements sent shocks of pleasure through his body each time the blond's cock nudged his prostate. This position was too–

"You don't have to baby me. I was fine," Izaya snapped, and he turned his gaze away from the brute looming over him.

Love for the other man aside, Izaya was still unable to get over the fact that he and Shizuo had spent years trying to kill each other. Even after the time they had spent together, the belief that Shizuo could and would crush him now that he was in such a vulnerable position ran through his mind and made him tense. If he needed to get away, Shizuo's body had him pinned.

"Izaya, look at me."

Scowling, the informant grudgingly lifted his eyes to the other, and guilt instantly washed away the beginnings of fear he had felt in this new position. Shizuo's concerned expression told Izaya all he needed to know to calm himself.

"I'm not going to hurt you, alright? You can trust me," Shizuo assured him, his low, kind voice causing Izaya to blush more than he already was.

Both of them caught the hesitance, though. They knew Shizuo could never absolutely promise he wouldn't hurt anyone, but Izaya understood what he meant: that Shizuo no longer wanted to hurt him.

With this thought in mind, Izaya gave a tiny nod of consent. Shizuo smiled and brought up a hand to brush a few sweaty locks of black hair from Izaya's eyes, and the informant found himself mirroring the sweet expression.

That was all Shizuo needed to start moving again, his hands bringing Izaya's legs up around his waist while he tried to find their rhythm again in this new position. With gravity on his side now, the blond was able to penetrate deeper than before, and Izaya practically mewled as his prostate was hit with every thrust.

"Ah… Shizu-chan, harder," groaned the brunet, his hips moving in time with Shizuo's as he tried frantically for more stimulation.

Before Shizuo had moved him, he had been close, but now with the other man crouched over him so carefully, hands gripping his legs with a gentleness that spoke volumes of how Shizuo felt, Izaya knew he wouldn't last very long.

"Sh-shit, flea. Sucking me in…" Shizuo said.

Izaya didn't bother to counter the remark: it was true. Once the pain had subsided, he found himself quickly becoming addicted to the sensation of Shizuo inside of him, a sentiment he could express only in a series of breathy gasps and utterances.

The bed beneath them creaked a little in protest as they began to move with more urgency, Izaya trembling as his mind went silent of all thoughts except for more, more, more.

His fingers dug into Shizuo's back as his lower abdomen tensed, and he wondered if the sudden warmth beneath his fingernails might not be from the other man's blood.

"Izaya… I-I'm gonna…" panted the blond, his pale, desperate eyes locking with Izaya's, "Can I…?"

A shaky smirk graced Izaya's sharp features as he pulled Shizuo's face down to his, his lips ghosting against the brute's as he spoke.

"Go ahead, Shizuo."

Shizuo came hard at the sound of his name being spoken so seductively, and he growled something that sounded like "Izaya". The feeling of Shizuo's hot seed painting the informant's insides was strange, but certainly not unwanted, and he came just moments after Shizuo, his nails scratching down the bodyguard's back.

While Izaya lay there panting and trying to control the tiny shivers that were dancing along his exhausted frame, Shizuo eased out of the smaller man, carefully eyeing Izaya all the while.

Heh, what was with that look? It was almost like the protozoan expected Izaya to yell at him or something.

"What's that face for?" Izaya asked, removing his hands from the blond's back as he spoke.

He scowled a bit at the feeling of cool air against his sweaty palms, but decided to not think of how badly he needed a shower right now. There were more pressing matters to worry about right now, like the suddenly brooding man over him.

Protozoans weren't supposed to brood.

"Didn't mean to make such a mess in you," replied Shizuo, unable to meet the brunet's dark eyes.

"Tch, is that all?" Izaya snorted, "If I hadn't wanted you to, I wouldn't have let you."

"But–"

"But since my Shizu-chan's such a gentleman, he can go get a towel to make up for it so I can clean myself off~"

Really, Izaya was just too sore and tired to go do so himself, but Shizuo didn't need to know that; it'd probably only make him feel worse.

The blond nodded and left the bed quickly without another word.

Just before Shizuo disappeared into the hallway to retrieve a towel, Izaya caught a glimpse of the angry red lines that had been clawed down the ex-bartender's back, and he couldn't help but grin. Shizuo probably didn't even feel them.

Izaya would be lying if he said he wasn't secretly hoping they'd scar. Shizuo already had one scar from Izaya on his chest, one given out of malice and hatred. In the informant's opinion, it was only fitting that the brute be given an entirely different scar from him.

"Izaya…?"

Jolted from his thoughts by the low rumble of Shizuo's voice, Izaya blinked up in surprise at the other man he hadn't even noticed reenter the room. Shizuo was holding a towel out to him that Izaya took with a grateful little hum, mopping up most of the cum running down his thighs before handing it back to Shizuo.

Shizuo's face was dusted with a light pink as he took the dampened towel and wiped away Izaya's release on his stomach, tossing it to the ground carelessly as he lay back on the bed once more.

Izaya instantly curled up against the blond, and the way Shizuo tensed momentarily didn't go unnoticed by the information broker.

A tiny thrill of triumph ran through him at the thought that for once he had been the one to do something unexpected, even if it did irk him that Shizuo had probably believed he was one of those people who had sex and then didn't want their partner anywhere near them.

They lay in comfortable silence for several moments before the question Izaya had been waiting for finally came.

"What were you thinking about just now? You were zoning out," Shizuo asked.

One of his hands had come up to stroke through Izaya's hair, and the informant fought to keep his eyes open, his body practically melting against Shizuo's.

"Again with the questions," Izaya sighed, though he was too sleepy to inject any snarkiness into his voice, "I'm too tired to shut you up right now, though… I was just thinking about Shizu-chan."

"Hm…" was the blond's soft reply, and Izaya glanced up to see that Shizuo's eyes had closed.

Shizuo's fingers in his hair had stilled. Had he really fallen asleep while Izaya was talking? How insulting.

But now that he was asleep…

Izaya shifted himself so that he was at eyelevel with the other.

"Thank you," he whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to Shizuo's forehead before settling back down against his chest, a tiny smile on his face as his eyelids fluttered shut.

For saving me. For listening to me…

For accepting me.

It was probably the first genuine thank you that Orihara Izaya had ever given, and he recalled being vaguely amused at the fact that it had been given to his ex-mortal enemy of all people shortly before sleep finally took him.

Yeah... So in a nutshell, my best friend of five years and I cut things off rather messily, found out one friend has HIV, another is going insane, my mom lost her second job, a tsunami hit the country where quite a few of my friends live, and we had to move ASAP because of money problems orz I feel like all of my bitterness and anger went into this chapter; it's really just no good, and I'm so, so sorry for that :( You readers really deserve better. I will do my best to make it up to you wonderful cats in ch19, which I shall hopefully have up in a week-ish, but I make no promises since doing so seems to invite all of the world's misfortunes upon me :'D (P.S. I will try to get up the beginnings of my kinkmeme fill sometime soon, too. Since I was working on that this past month to keep myself sane.) /life TMI.

I've really never been more embarrassed in my life than I am right now ;; Sorry again, guys. I really do love you all~