Work Text:
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Theoretically, the sound could be traced back to numerous sources. The tapping of someone’s foot, the scratch of a pencil, water running through the pipes – your average high school classroom was a veritable breeding ground for obnoxious noise. Even while the teacher was lecturing, the background din could easily be responsible for the rather annoying sound invading Izaya’s conscience.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Really, there was nothing unusual about hearing a few strange noises in class. Maybe someone was rooting around in their backpack. Or leaning too heavily on an uneven desk. Plenty of possibilities out there. So why bother fixating on it? Surely it would fade into the back of his mind if he just ignored it.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
But the harder he willed it to shut up, the louder it seemed to become. In fact, Izaya might say that it bordered on maddening. Today’s wasn’t a particularly difficult lesson, so the distraction it brought to his academics wasn’t especially worrying. Besides, if homework that night presented an obstacle he could always ask Kadota for his notes. No, Izaya’s discontent had roots in something much different.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
After sweeping the room at least a dozen times with his eyes, Izaya was forced to accept that the sound couldn’t be originating from an outside source. This meant that it had an internal cause; something from within. Through the process of elimination, he deduced that it must be his pulse. Which was simply absurd. There was no discernable reason for a spike in adrenaline – so why was his blood pounding in his skull? And as far as Izaya was aware, he hadn’t recently sustained any injuries severe enough to produce internal bleeding, so that couldn’t be it.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Nonetheless, it was indisputable. Evidence doesn’t lie. For some unfathomable reason, his heart was beating wildly in his chest.
There was no reason to suspect it had anything to do with the bespectacled boy in the next seat over.
Regardless, the thought came to him both unbidden and unwelcome. A ridiculous notion, Izaya thought quietly, refusing to even consider the possibility. Despite the fact that it had been plaguing him for months now.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Still…
Izaya paused for a moment, then spared a glance at the boy to his left. Shinra Kishitani. The student in question was humming quietly, swinging his legs as he took notes. Noticing Izaya’s gaze on him, he stopped just long enough to give him a grin and a tiny wave, before turning back to his work.
Perhaps he was just imagining things, but Izaya was fairly certain that his heart skipped a beat.
Izaya Orihara was used to running away, but only in physical situations. He typically had the upper hand in any kind of mental warfare, and therefore didn’t need to formulate an escape plan for anything involving the mind. It didn’t, however, come as surprise to him when he realized that being cornered by Shizu-chan was a far better alternative to being cornered by his own emotions.
For Izaya, the easiest thing to do in this scenario was to run away. That could be achieved by simply avoiding Shinra for the rest of his life. It was completely rational, really. All he had to do was stay out of his way–
“Izaya-kun! There you are!”
There is no God.
Sighing, Izaya turned to look at his friend, backpack slung over his shoulder. Upon the bell that signaled the end of class, the hallways had become a site of pandemonium. Perfect for losing someone in the crowd. Unfortunately, fate had other plans.
Shinra appeared to be dancing on his feet, barely able to keep still. Izaya raised an eyebrow but didn’t bother to question. Knowing Shinra, he’d be informed of the circumstances in approximately 2 seconds.
“Celty said yes!”
Oh.
The entire school was well aware of Shinra’s long-unrequited crush on Celty Sturluson, a pretty girl in their class. The entire school was also one hundred percent certain that Shinra had a better chance of being struck by lightning twice in one day than managing to score with her.
Clearly, popular opinion wasn’t very credible.
Shinra’s grin was impossibly bright, eyes shining. “The Valentine’s Dance, on Friday! She said she’d go with me!” Izaya didn’t know how he would’ve responded, because Shinra immediately crumpled, a frown tugging on the corners of his lips. “At least, I wish I could say that. She turned me down. Again.”
Relief. That was probably not the socially correct emotion for Izaya to be feeling right now, but even so.
“I’m sorry,” was all he offered, at a complete loss. It was better than saying Thank fuck for that, at any rate.
It was then that Izaya realized that Shinra’s eyes were still shining; this time with sadness. “I really thought she’d say yes, this time,” he sighed.
Izaya resisted the urge to tell him that was his own mistake, but thankfully managed to control himself. He couldn’t claim to be an expert on love, but he was pretty sure that Celty was considered ‘out of Shinra’s league,’ mostly due to the fact that she was a kind, popular girl and Shinra spent his free time dissecting frogs. And yet, even with that and many other of Shinra’s flaws, Izaya’s heart beat fast every time he looked at him. Yikes.
“You still have the rest of the week to find a date,” Izaya offered, a vague attempt at cheering his friend up. He should’ve known it was pointless.
Shinra shook his head, regret tangible in the air around him. “She’s the only girl I want,” he said wistfully.
“Then go stag. Half the school will, anyways, I doubt anyone there will have a date. Everyone who actually has one will be spending Valentine’s Day at the movies and stuff, not a stupid school dance.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right…” Shinra perked up, his grief apparently forgotten. Izaya figured that after being turned down every other week, he’d developed a kind of tolerance. “Hey! Maybe she’ll be there without a date, too!” And then he started off on a tangent that had something to do with slow dances and Celty and being her knight in shining armor. He didn’t really care much about what Shinra was saying, but listening to his jubilant voice brought a kind of happiness to Izaya that he’d never felt before.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
If Shinra really is to blame for this predicament, I just might have to kill him.
There’s a certain awkwardness that comes from being irredeemably wrong about something, and Izaya couldn’t really make up for it other than patting Shinra on the shoulder and muttering an apology before beating a hasty retreat. Apparently the lovebirds in their school didn’t have anything better to do on the evening of the dance, because when Izaya arrived he found a horrified Shinra watching at least a dozen happy couples twirl across the gymnasium floor.
Izaya was not one for dances, especially not sappy Valentine’s dances. Between the two of them, romance was always Shinra’s forte, and that was saying something considering that every single one of his attempts to get a date ended in failure. But somehow he’d managed to convince Izaya to attend the gathering, evidently out of a need for moral support. Izaya took that to mean he’d be spending the evening being a wingman for his own crush.
Not that he had a crush. This was just…fondness.
Fondness usually involves wanting to destroy anyone who gets close to Shinra, right?
Fuck.
He made his way to the refreshment table, managing to escape several attempts at conversation from acquaintances. Predictably, everyone who knew Izaya was bewildered to find him here, and he received more than a few open-mouthed stares. Any other day, he would’ve reveled in the attention, but right now it was bothering him. He felt vulnerable. It was disgusting. “Can’t they mind their own business?” he muttered to himself as he got a drink from the table. It was some sort of punch, poured into a flimsy paper cup. Definitely not Izaya’s first choice of beverage, but he should’ve had low standards coming into this. He hesitated for a moment, then grabbed a second cup for Shinra – he should probably go and shake him out of his self-pitying daze.
But a quick survey of the room showed that Shinra was nowhere to be found. Did he seriously ditch me less than five minutes in? It wasn’t completely unrealistic, given that Shinra’s entire purpose of attending was to flirt with Celty, but Izaya had assumed that his friend possessed at least a little bit of self-restraint. Perhaps incorrectly.
He maneuvered through the crowd, prickling with annoyance. Clearly, there was no point in being here if Shinra was just going to disappear on him without warning. “It was pointless to come, anyways,” he announced aloud, dumping the cups of punch in a trash can on his way out the door. Izaya knew that he was being petty and childish, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of disappointment that had settled over him. He stepped outside, fully intending to walk home and chew Shinra out first thing on Monday morning.
He made it approximately three feet.
Shinra was sitting on the steps leading up to the school, hunched over and facing away from him. Izaya held back a sigh and walked over, plopping down next to his friend. “Did Celty already have a date?” he questioned. There was really no use in stalling; might as well get this conversation over with and move on.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Shinra glanced at him briefly and shook his head. “I didn’t even look for her. I just…” he trailed off, apparently unwilling or unable to finish his explanation.
What? “That’s uncharacteristic of you,” Izaya pointed out. “I thought she was the only reason you wanted to come to this dance, anyways.
Apparently this was the wrong thing to say, because Shinra gave him a very distressed look. “I don’t know,” was his exasperated response. “I’m just. Confused. About a lot of things.”
Well, that was cryptic. “Such as?”
“You. Celty. Everything.”
“…I’m afraid that didn’t clear anything up. You’re going to have to be more specific.”
Shinra straightened up and got to his feet, and Izaya followed suit, mostly out of reflex. Shinra was positively beaming, and Izaya shifted uncomfortably. “Hmm. Specific. Yeah, I really should be.” He grabbed the collar of Izaya’s shirt and yanked him forward.
And kissed him.
Izaya’s mind went blank.
Pulling apart, Shinra gave him another dazzling grin. “Well! That settles it.”
Still too dazed to respond in an articulate manner, Izaya stared at him uncomprehendingly. There was a silent what the fuck hanging in the air, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to be the one to voice it. “…Huh?”
“Oh, it’s simple. Apparently, I like you.”
Ignoring the lackluster confession, Izaya blinked. “What about Celty?”
“Hmm? What about her?”
“You’ve been in love with her for years!” Izaya rarely raised his voice, but at the moment it seemed appropriate.
“Yes, well. As it happens, feelings do change.”
“Not like that!”
A knowing smile curved the corner of Shinra’s lips. “Yours did.”
Thump. Thump. Thump.
“So, what? You’re just giving up on her after all this time?”
“Are you going to complain?”
Izaya’s immediate thought was no, but he wasn’t going to give Shinra the satisfaction of admitting that aloud. Two could play at that game. “Yes. I’m formally putting in a complaint to you.”
Shinra scoffed, feigning disapproval. “For what?”
“Whatever affliction you placed upon me. I demand you take responsibility.”
“Ahh, so you want to be my Valentine! That’s so adorable, Iza-”
“I’d rather be buried alive,” Izaya declared without missing a beat, generating a series of overly-exaggerated whines from Shinra about how cruel he was.
Still.
Maybe the strange feeling in his chest wasn’t so bad, after all.
Thump. Thump. Thump.