With the Captains suffering casualties and heavy injuries on their side, all hope seemed to be lost... until Shinji Hirako appeared, along with the rest of the former Shinigami. Though the aid of the Vizards certainly helped to draw the battle in their favor, it seemed Aizen's power alone proved too much for them.
Izaya simply grinned. Not even listening to the bit she added later, he moved a little closer to her. Close enough to soak up every detail about her. He fixated on every little detail. Her eyes were wide and round like saucers. She looked so much younger than she was. It made him feel a little bad. Wait, no. They were both more than a century old. There was nothing wrong with this.
"Is that because without me no one can get you paper? Or is it because you would actually miss me?"
He flashed her a smile that was rather uncharacteristic of him. It was one of warmth. He did it to try to show her that he cared. The interpretation came out a little wrong. His face was a little distorted because he was obviously trying too hard. Cocking his head to the side, he let the smile down and kind of looked around. The food was still on the floor. Another thing was that she didn't take the sketchpad from him. Maybe she was too concentrated on him. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
"Hmmph. Says the guy who was on his knees a second ago."
He began to laugh, "Oh, you know it. I try to block out all those things that make me seem needy. I don't like feeling needy. I actually don't like needing at all. Please, don't tell anyone I groveled."
He listened to her talk about how father. She said that he had some place to go. Obviously she didn't know his family. They would most likely ridicule him and have some sort of punishment for getting hurt. They would also probably look down on him for liking Kin as well. Wait, liking Kin? When the fuck did that happen? WHAT IS THIS, A ROMANTIC COMEDY?! Yes, it has become one inadvertently. He actually cared about what she said about her father. Yes, it wasn't a stretch to say that he had legitimate feelings for her.
"Kin-chan, you misunderstand my family. My report over how I got injured will probably be ensued by yelling and some sort of punishment. It'd probably be best to tell them then about...well, this whole thing with you. They shouldn't be too angry. Then again, I don't give much of a damn. This thing with you turned out to be quite nice for me."
He smiled at her softly. His face was red; beat red. Izaya was so flustered and embarrassed by that last line that he could barely stand to look at Kin. So, in true Izaya fashion, he didn't. He stared at his sandals and shook his head a little as he kind of bounced about. He was so nervous. He needed an ice-breaker; anything dammit. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw the food on the floor. That. Might. Work.
"Kin-chan, your food is getting cold. Can I bring it inside?"
The whole time, his eyes remained fixated on the ground. He couldn't bear to face Kin. Not now. Not with all he had admitted.
Kin smirked to Izaya, seeing this as a perfect opportunity to screw with him. It would be just a little entertaining to see if he was lying by being mean. Maybe it was too far, he was injured pretty badly after all. But naaaaah. She could make amends later. ”Eh ? I barely noticed when you left. If you hadn’t come knocking on my window I wouldn’t have even known.”
She frowned when he smiled to her – it was an odd gesture from Izaya, and Kin was a little more than taken aback. His eyes seemed to drift to her sketchbook and food, and she held out a hand. ”You still haven’t given me my sketchbook, Izaya-kun.”
”I don’t like feeling needy. I actually don’t like needing at all. Please, don’t tell anyone I groveled,” Izaya laughed.
”Eh, the hospital must have sucked for you,” Kin laughed. She shifted in place, a little uncomfortable from standing in the same place for so long. They were friends, she decided – she did sort of trust him not to hurt her intentionally, and it was just a little hard to swallow that fact. ”I get it, sort of. I don’t like asking for things either.”
”Kin-chan, you misunderstand my family,” Izaya explained, continuing that he would likely get yelled at for his injuries. That was a shock to Kin – her father wouldn’t have yelled, he would just expect her to help them just as much as she’d been doing. Her parents sort of cared about her, in a roundabout way, so it was weird to think that Izaya – spoiled, privileged Izaya – had family who didn’t care about him at all.
”Cute blush, Izaya-kun.”
”Your food is getting cold. Can I bring it inside?”
Kin looked over her shoulder. Papers littered the floor, and paint stained the walls and sheets as usual. Her lips pulled back in a nervous grimace, her face growing hot as she realized just how messy it was. But, eh, she could live with it. She turned to Izaya and waved dismissively. ”Eh, go ahead. It’s a mess though, and don’t step on my stuff.”
An impossible task for anyone with less than perfect balance – even Kin had to wobble around a few canvases to get to her bed. She looked to Izaya expecting him to do the same – or fail miserably and make her laugh. ”Oh, and you can’t shunpo in here. It’ll kick everything around.”
Character List "Let's eat, Grandma!" "Let's eat Grandma!" Commas save lives.
”Eh ? I barely noticed when you left. If you hadn’t come knocking on my window I wouldn’t have even known.”
He laughed a little. She was obviously joking. There was no way she wouldn't even notice him being gone. For one thing, who would bring her things when she asked for them? For a second, she would miss him and he knew it. It was getting pretty clear that this whole "bond" thing wasn't just a one-way street.
"Ouch. You've gone and wounded me Kin-chan. I must do away with this pain. Perhaps some alcohol would serve me good. Oh wait, I'm a black out drunk, that's right." He flashed a small smirk to show her that he too could joke around. Then she asked for her sketchpad. He handed it to her willingly. "I tried to give it to you earlier dear."
”Eh, the hospital must have sucked for you,”
"IT DID! All the time I was having to ask for things. Had to get a drink? Ask for it. Needed to use the restroom? Ask for it. I could do nothing for myself. It was horrible." He took a deep breath and sort of looked around. The memory of his week in the hospital had kind of scarred him. He hated every second of it. Frankly, if it could be done, he never wanted to go back as a patient. She then said that she felt the same way. That would explain her hesitancy when it came to reciprocating those pesky feelings. He didn't respond to this. She knew how he felt.
”Cute blush, Izaya-kun.”
He had noticed his face getting hotter and hotter. It must have been ensued by it turning redder and redder. Izaya hadn't ever blushed like that before. It was a little bit embarrassing for him and he didn't much care for being embarrassed. He decided to kind of make things playful again.
"You'd blush too if you were being put on the spot like this. Having to profess one's feelings is a real cause for anxiety. Frankly, you should be a little more lenient on me. Not only is this hard and embarrassing, I'm not even supposed to be moving around." He flashed her another small smile as she told him to bring in the food. She did some kind of wobbling around her stuff to avoid stepping on anything. It all kind of seemed like a waste, she should've just jumped.
”Oh, and you can’t shunpo in here. It’ll kick everything around.”
He laughed a little, didn't she know? "I hate Shunpo Kin-chan. I never use it. Ever. Plus, I don't need it." With that he grabbed the bag and quickly flicked it into the air of her room. He would have to time this just right. With a jump he was close to the ceiling and a little under halfway to her bed. He pushed off the ceiling and angled himself towards the goal area. As he angled towards it he grabbed the food. Landing on his feet on her bed and set down the food and flashed her a small grin. "I've got the agility and balance of a fucking cat."
Almost ironically, it was at that time that he lost his footing on the bed. He fell on his side and ended up half off the bed and half on it. It hurt his ribs like a bitch and he slammed his eyes shut in pain. He gave a small glance to Kin and outstretched his hand, asking to be pulled in. "Maybe not."
"Well, now that I've got it back you can leave," Kin said flatly as she accepted her sketchbook. She smirked to him, and then added, "But you don't have to yet."
Eventually she would want her space and Izaya would have to get out. But for now, she was fine with it. It was kind of nice to be able to just sit back with a friend and talk. Even if the conversation wasn't exactly cheerful.
"You'd blush too, if you were being put on the spot like this. Having to profess one's feelings is a real cause for anxiety," Izaya said, smiling to her. "Frankly, you should be a little more lenient on me. Not only is this hard and embarassing, I'm not even supposed to be moving around!"
That Izaya did a rather flashy jumping move, Kin laughed. "You're doing an awful lot of moving for someone who's supposed to be bed-ridden."
She held out her hand and planted her feet on the bed so that she could pull him up. This couldn't be good for his one good arm.
"But see, with Shunpo, I could do the same thing you just did a hundred times faster. Or more," Kin reasoned, smiling to Izaya. Surely he understood that shunpo was much faster no matter how you put it, right? And Kin was already nimble and quick - cats be damned. She was more like a weasel.
Character List "Let's eat, Grandma!" "Let's eat Grandma!" Commas save lives.
He was about to get upset when she said he could leave. However, he felt his small grin return as the joking nature of the statement came to light. She was always doing something like that. Kin kept him on his toes and didn't let him get away with anything. He wondered why he liked that about her. It seemed like such an annoying quality when they first met. Maybe it annoyed him in a way that he enjoyed. Was he secretly a masochist? No, that would imply flaw. Izaya was without flaw.
"You're doing an awful lot of moving for someone who's supposed to be bed-ridden."
He looked up at her from his position off the bed. She wasn't letting him get away with that. However, he wasn't about to let her ride his ass on something like that.
"You know, for someone who's supposed to be my friend, you're doing an awful lot of not helping." He flashed her a small smile as she outstretched her hand. He grabbed it and pulled himself on to the bed and sat up on it. That hurt his ribs something fierce and he placed his hand on his midsection. He couldn't hide the brief flash of pain from his face. He shook his head a little and looked back up at her. He had yet to let go of her hand and didn't plan on it. She felt warm. But wait, no, he had to tell her about his look of pain. God forbid she worry.
"Sorry about the flash of pain. The ribs aren't getting any better."
She told him that Shunpo was faster. He really didn't care. She obviously didn't understand that he didn't like the technique. And, if he didn't like it, he wasn't going to use it. He simply nodded towards the food.
"Yours is the one on top. Mine is the big bowl. I ordered soup. I like soup." He flashed her a small smile. He still kept his hand held in hers. It felt right for some reason.
"Oh be a man," Kin teased as Izaya complained about his ribs. Sure, it bothered her that he was injured, and there was that whole missing an arm thing to be considered. She just wanted to lighten the mood a little bit. Watching her friends hurting wasn't fun. Her tone of voice was light and sort of playful, and she smiled to him as she giggled, "I've met little girls who complain less than you."
She shook her hand free to take the smaller box, and she noticed that it smelled familiar. When she opened it up, she recognized the meal perfectly. Teriyaki steak.
"Were you shooting for nostalgic effect, Izaya-kun, or was this coincidence?" asked the little shinigami as she leaned into the corner formed by the bed's end and two walls. She set the box on her lap, and pulled a pair of chopsticks from the side. "Itadakimasu."
As she started to eat the meal, she wondered if he'd ordered soup because of his chest. That was no good - he had to heal, and she hoped it would go more quickly. It was unnerving to see him like this - normally he was so cocky but now he had to flip between being an arrogant ass and a wimpy kid who just got his ass kicked.
And she still remembered when he got drunk, and what he had said. She averted her gaze, briefly, her eyes narrowing. No, he didn't really like her. He was just drunk, and stupid.
Character List "Let's eat, Grandma!" "Let's eat Grandma!" Commas save lives.
Kin began to tease him about his complaining. It wasn't his fault that he had apologized for it. After all, she was weird about him being hurt. She had been weird in the hospital before he had told her how he felt. Now she still wasn't herself, but Izaya could attribute that to any number of things. It could be his injuries. It could also be the fact that there was some obvious romantic tension between them. There was something there and he was just now picking up on it. Izaya had held his share of the denial; Kin was still clinging to hers.
"Were you shooting for nostalgic effect, Izaya-kun, or was this coincidence?"
He gave a small laugh as he grabbed the bowl. With a flick of his thumb he opened it and grabbed for a spoon. He flashed her a small smile and looked down at his soup. It looked delicious. It was filled with vegetables and some chicken pieces. He didn't remember how much he had paid for it. He didn't really think about money his family took care of all that. He was affluent enough such that it wasn't a problem. That reminded him, he would have to talk to his family. He was dreading that.
"Well, I felt that something to stay consistent. I mean, my whole life is turning upside down. The entire paradigm of our relationship has changed. What's one nostalgic meal in a myriad of ever-changing components of our life? Call it trying to hold back the rain, if you will."
He began to eat his soup. It went down his throat smooth and barely hurt as he swallowed. Soup was just all around convenient. Frankly, soup was just amazing. There wasn't much denying that. Wait, he was getting off on a tangent. He needed to keep the conversation moving.
A smile flitted over Kin's face as Izaya gave a long explanation of why he ordered the same meal. It was actually kind of funny how he talked, sometimes. Kin preferred to keep things simple when appropriate while needlessly complicating things at other times. Izaya usually seemed to lean the other direction, but she knew why. He was playing mental chess, wasn't he? She looked up, wryly suggesting, "Maybe I was joking, Izaya-kun. I don't really mind."
She ate her food just a little thoughtfully, remembering that she had given him the leftovers last time. After all, she really didn't eat that much in the first place, and it was really too much food. Also, she had wanted to be a little tougher than Izaya in that regard. She was letting him take the leftovers. Now, though, she didn't care.
"Is the steak as good as you remember, Kin-chan?"
Kin smiled. "Hai, Izaya-kun."
She continued to eat, just a little thoughtfully. Maybe Izaya would be alright. She couldn't feel if his reiatsu was still all twisted up, but if no one else could, maybe Suzuka would be able to. And if that failed, Unohana might be nice enough to help. She shuddered to think what might happen if no one could fix him.
Character List "Let's eat, Grandma!" "Let's eat Grandma!" Commas save lives.
"Maybe I was joking, Izaya-kun. I don't really mind."
He gave her a look as he sighed. Looking down at her bed, he thought about how short her reply was to something he had drawn on and on about. Had he gone on for too long? No, it had been fine. Kin was just being Kin. She was an odd one, and he had grown to accept that.
"You could have told me that a little earlier Kin-chan. Then I could have avoided the hassle of having to explain my entire thought process to you. Frankly, I don't care for that particular insecurity. I've always found the fear of change to be irrational."
With that, Izaya returned to his soup. It went down as easily as before. He really appreciated it in that regard. The fact that his midsection was killing him was reason enough to stick with soup. Let the lady have her solid food; he was good with this. With a small smirk he looked up at her and then her room. It was a fucking mess. She really needed to clean this more often. Albeit, Kin didn't seem like the type to be overly organized. Artists tended not to be.
"When's the last time you cleaned this room Kin-chan? I mean, it looks like someone used Shunpo in here...several times. I mean I don't see why you were so concerned about me. I haven't seen my room in about two weeks; I suppose my room has gotten quite messy in my absence."
She seemed to enjoy her food again. Which was good. That was his goal, after all.
Kin tilted her head, indignantly remarking, "It's not that I haven't been cleaning! I've just been working. See - it's all of my drafts, and sometimes they take a while to dry completely."
She wasn't organized, to be honest, and even if she hadn't been drawing the room would still be cluttered. Paint would still coat the floors and walls - after all, she had to test them out somewhere. She could blame her left-handedness for her scatterbrain, and she smirked at the thought. Quietly she ate another piece, giggling when Izaya mentioned his room would be messy.
"Just dusty, probably," she laughed. "If you haven't been around, it can't have gotten cluttered."
He noticed that she hadn't asked how his soup was, and that was because she still had that thought stuck in her head. Maybe he said that he liked soup, but he said his ribs were still hurting. It was probably still hard for him to eat solid food.
"Well, no one ever accused me of being polite," she laughed, turning up her nose and taking another bite. She would run out of room in her stomach soon, so she chewed slowly. He could have had a monologue in the time it took for her to swallow.
Character List "Let's eat, Grandma!" "Let's eat Grandma!" Commas save lives.