Thanks

As of late, Izaya had been doing things. They weren't bad things per say, they were just bizarre. Just this morning, he had picked up Shizuo's pencil and placed it on his desk for him. Then, at lunch, when he had accidently spilled apple juice on his school pants, Izaya was waiting in the wings with a napkin. Shizuo had a right mind to ask him why he was being so—he wouldn't say "nice" because no, Izaya could never be nice—weird. But in reality, he felt much more comfortable asking Shinra.

"Hey," Shizuo said in attempts to get his friend's attention. School was out now, but it just so happened that the two shared opposing shoe lockers.

"Uh, hey?" Shinra laughed awkwardly.

"Why has that flea been acting weird lately?" Shizuo asked. His expression was deadpan and serious.

"I assume you're referring to Izaya? Isn't he always weird?" Shinra laughed again, this time with more comfort.

"Yeah, but," Shizuo scratched the side of his head. He was trying to search for the right words, but they eluded him. "He's been acting weirder."

"Weirder?" Shinra repeated, tucking his finger into the back of his shoe. "Hmm, I don't think so. Why, what has he been doing?"

Slapping his palm against the lockers, a sound that echoed and caused the both of them to jump, Shizuo desperately retorted, "Haven't you seen him? He's been doing strange things like picking up my pencils and giving me napkins, and it's just really weird!"

Shinra came to a stand and closed his shoe locker. "Maybe he's just trying to be nice?"

"N-nice? There's no way in Hell that that's the reason!" Shizuo shouted, ripping his hand down from where it had been placed on the lockers to grab his school bag and heave it onto his shoulder.

"Well then, good luck to you, Sherlock, because you're going to need it," Shinra smiled, patting his friend's back before leaving him to his thoughts, thoughts that he didn't want to be thinking about in the first place.

The next day, Shizuo lost it. Just as Izaya was about to pick up his pencil—he felt like cursing himself for having dropped it again—for the second time, Shizuo stood from his desk and slapped his hands down onto the aged wood. The teacher was about to scold him for disrupting the class, but Shizuo's bellowing voice beat him out. "Quit doing weird things, Izaya!"

It was no doubt that this had embarrassed Izaya thoroughly. The proof of that was clear on his slowly reddening face.

Everyone was staring at the two of them, and now Shizuo was starting to feel the beginnings of sheepishness as well. Taking his seat, he hung his head in apparent shame. And when he looked over at Izaya through the corner of his eye, he saw that he was doing the same.

When the class had been dismissed, Shizuo grabbed Izaya before he could escape—really, he had been trying to do so. "Look," Shizuo began with a huff, "just tell me why you're acting so…nice to me." Just thinking about the word made his stomach churn; saying it was that same feeling of nausea, but on a whole new level.

"What's this?" Izaya chuckled. "Can't you just accept it and say 'thank you' like any other normal person?"

"Uh…thanks?" Shizuo replied cautiously.

There it was again. That same, rose-colored expression on Izaya's face. "It's no…It's no problem," Izaya nodded. He shook his arm free from Shizuo's grasp and scurried out of the classroom. Shizuo, however, stood dumbfounded and confused.

"What the Hell just happened?"

Hello there! Chappy here! :D

Wow, it's been a while since I've written for this drabble challenge, hasn't it? If I'm at all honest, it's because I've been stuck on this theme for so long. I just couldn't think of a single scenario that would have worked for it, so I'm pretty happy that I was able to scrounge up what I did. XD

Day 16, and the theme is "thanks."

As always, thank you for taking the time to read! :D

- Chappy