Warnings: brief non-con, emotional manipulation

Wooo, I got some of my creativity back! I have a few snippets already written, so I'll try to keep to a schedule of one chapter per week, or two weeks, depending. I'm excited for this fic because I think I have a better grasp on the characters now, and I've also grown as a writer. I hope everyone enjoys it. ^_^

I owe the title of this story to Love Is The End by Keane. I don't own Durarara! nor any of the characters in it.

Masaomi looked up at the foreboding building across the street. It wasn't the building that struck fear in him, but a certain informant who resided within it. Taking a deep breath, he crossed the street, reminding himself of his reason for the sudden return.

Saki checked out of the hospital a year ago. They were finally back together, but four months in, financial stress began to burden other areas of their relationship. Each was often cold or distant, with no warning. Neither had parents to run back to, so they got a small apartment. Saki worked at a convenience store a few blocks from their home; Masaomi had just quit his job from the theater—which his girlfriend grew furious about. She had been threatening to leave him for weeks if he couldn't find a stable job. If they weren't under so much stress, Masaomi thought that they could go back to normal.

He tried to push away the horrible memories of his experiences with the informant as he made his way up the elevator. Reminding himself one last time that he was truly desperate for money, he knocked on the door. A voice called out, and he entered the apartment, quietly shutting the door behind him. As always, Izaya was sitting at his desk, immersed in his laptop.

Izaya looked up and raised an eyebrow, more amused than surprised to see the boy again. "Masaomi-kun, I haven't seen you in a while. How are you?"

"If I were doing alright, I wouldn't be here." He stalked over the man and placed his hands on his desk. "I need a few jobs. More than a few, actually."

The raven closed his laptop and rested his chin on his palm. "Don't be rude. Aren't you going to ask how I'm doing?" His gaze was just as sharp as Masaomi remembered it, piercing into him, invading his thoughts. It willed him to behave, to surrender and act the way Izaya wanted him to.

Masaomi crossed his arms; he had already decided that he wouldn't be pushed around. "No, I want to get this done quickly."

"Well, that doesn't work for me. Go sit on the couch and we can talk." Izaya gestured to the luxurious furniture across the room.

"I'm fine here." His reply was spoken pointedly, with tenacity he knew the other would want to extinguish slowly and painfully.

"That wasn't a suggestion. Your determination to avoid manipulation is cute, but I will only help if you comply with me."

With a sigh, the teen retreated to the couch and waited for Izaya to sit down. He had one leg up, and his pelvis was pointed towards him. He wasn't planning to miss any of the boy's expressions. "Much better. Now, how is Saki-chan doing?"

He shuddered, not liking how the man said his girlfriend's name. It held intimacy that reminded him they were well acquainted. "She's fine," he answered plainly, obviously wanting to avoid discussing her with him.

"You're having financial problems, I take it?"

"Yes."

"I suppose I could find a few things… But I know of a much better way for you to earn money."

"How?"

"You can work for me full-time. Namie-san is currently on...an extended break, of sorts. You'd work Monday through Friday, 11:00 to 7:00. The hours and days will be flexible, of course, as paperwork and jobs are not constant. I can pay you 2500 yen per hour. You'll also earn money for extra services I might ask of you."

"… Extra services?"

"You know, pushing, going on dangerous jobs, accompanying me to tedious events, etcetera." He idly ran his fingers through the golden hair. Masaomi flinched, but didn't move away, more because it would result in trouble if he stopped it than because he enjoyed it. "How does that sound? One might call it 'an offer you can't refuse.'"

Masaomi second-guessed himself. He had never hated anyone as much as he loathed Izaya. Now he'd be forced to see him for around thirty-five hours a week. He thought about Saki again, and how they were before the financial problems—how they could be after they were stable. Also, 2500 yen per hour was incredibly generous. Izaya was richer than he'd thought, and he took him to be a rather wealthy man, judging from his living arrangements. "Alright. I'll take it."

"Wonderful. When can you start?"

Masaomi scratched the back of his neck and looked away. His new boss's voice sounded far too excited, and his eyes were practically gleaming. "Well, I'm not particularly busy… I can start anytime."

"How about now?"

"Now?" He glanced out the large windows. "It's nearly sunset. I have to get home."

Izaya placed a hand on the blond's knee. It was just light enough to be casual. "I'd like to train you before you begin working. It won't take long."

Masaomi sighed with defeat and brushed off the uncomfortable touch. "Fine. What do you want me to do?"

"We're going to go through a few rules. Firstly, what happens while you're with me will not be spoken about outside of this apartment." He tapped Masaomi's knee with one finger, adding in another with each rule he articulated. "Secondly, you will show up on time and leave only when I say you're done for the day. Unless I explicitly state otherwise, you will come in every weekday." He scooted closer, delighting in the boy's nervous demeanor. Everything was going according to plan. "Lastly, you will not defy me. The orders I give are absolute, and disobedience will result in dock of salary, unpaid overtime, or any other punishment I see fit. Are we clear?"

"Yes," Masaomi said quickly, wanting to get through the conversation as quickly as possible.

"Perfect! Now let's catch up. How are things with you and Saki-chan?"

"We're fine, but—"

"Oh, and while it's amusing to catch you in lies, our conversations will go much smoother if you tell me the truth. If you hide things from me, I'll be forced to waste time coaxing it out of you, so be honest with me."

"Sorry… Um, it's not going too well. Since we've had money problems, she's been cold and distant. The stress of it is impacting our relationship." He felt awkward talking about relationship problems with Izaya, but it was better than being prodded until he finally came out with the truth.

"It must be difficult to handle so many of these problems when you're only eighteen. How do you do it, Masaomi-kun?" He softened his expression sympathetically and slid his hand into Masaomi's.

Masaomi was too caught up in the crimson-eyed male's stare to be bothered by Izaya's subtle act of affection. "I, uh…"

"I've waited so long for this day to come."

Masaomi swallowed nervously as the man moved closer, and yet he found himself leaning forward. "Y-You have?"

"Oh, yes. How could I not anticipate when you would return to me? Do you remember how we were back then?"

"Yeah…" Izaya was far too close to him. He could smell the man's intoxicating scent; he was frozen under his intense stare.

"I can recall so many incredible memories: your fingers tangled in my hair; how you whined my name so adorably when you wanted me to touch you; the way you smiled when you woke up next to me…"

"Izaya…" Masaomi moved close enough to feel Izaya's breath against his skin. He shut his eyes and lightly, teasingly brushed their lips together, smiling when he pulled away and received a grunt in response. The way Izaya's hands settled on his waist was pleasantly familiar; how he gripped tighter when Masaomi pulled away again was impossibly cute. Sometimes the man allowed teasing, and the blond always took advantage of it when he did.

After a few more light nips and kisses, Masaomi threw his arms around the informant's neck and crashed their lips together, letting out a growl from his throat as he felt fingernails dig into his side. Soon enough, he was greedily shoving his tongue into the man's mouth, pulling Izaya on top of him.

He wasn't too surprised to feel fingers undoing the button of his pants, and he quickly swatted them away. They remained kissing for a while, then Izaya tried again, and Masaomi grabbed his hand to interlock their fingers instead. The third try, a few minutes later, he finally gave in, feeling weak against the man above him. He was always weak against Izaya's advances, and rarely ever denied him. If the informant wanted him, it was only inevitable that this would happen again.

The rest happened almost too quickly for him to keep up with, though he figured slight disorientation was part of the other's strategy. He returned the kisses placed on his lips, and had just begun to suck on a few of the raven's fingers when they were plucked out of his mouth. Masaomi tensed as he felt his pants and boxers being pulled down to his ankles, but didn't protest, letting the man do as he pleased, just like he always did. He prayed that Izaya wouldn't say anything. The raw, carnal desire between them could easily be shattered by the sadistic informant's words.

Masaomi tightly gripped onto the other man's shoulders when two fingers slid inside him. He pushed into them, his mind fuzzing as Izaya brushed against the spot that made him tremble. Soft whimpers and moans escaped him as he felt the tension slowly leaving his body. Surrendering to Izaya's sweet words and intoxicating touches was easy, and he truly didn't want to resist him.

The informant scattered kisses along his neck and collarbones as his fingers moved at a quicker rhythm. He smiled predatorily from the slight pink that rose to the boy's face, and gently pecked his lips in response. Izaya angled his fingers to strike all of the places inside Masaomi that made him writhe and moan in pleasure. The sharp moves left a dull ache that only managed to add to his growing need to release.

It only took a couple of minutes for Masaomi to not be able to to hold back any longer, consumed by a mixture of desire and frustration. The blond's fingernails sunk into the informant's shoulders as his lower body spasmed and his muscles contracted. He shut his eyes as calmness washed over his body.

Masaomi wondered when Izaya would speak. When would he be forced back into reality to make him face what he'd done, to make him realize that he'd yet again fallen for the sly informant's tricks?

"Return to me," Izaya murmured simply, brushing his lips against the younger man's ear.

Masaomi opened his eyes and bit his lip. He didn't want to face the consequences of his actions—or rather, inaction against Izaya's advances. "We shouldn't have done that. I can't believe—"

"You can't believe that you let me pleasure you again, committing infidelity for the nth time? Is it truly difficult to believe that a young man neglected by his current girlfriend would melt into the arms of his former lover? What's wrong with giving into what you desire? It's fine as long as you don't tell her."

Masaomi shook his head. This wasn't the first time he heard Izaya say those words, and he needed to stop things quickly, before everything ended in disaster. "No, I can't..."

"You were so happy back then, don't you remember? We can just pretend that you never left."

Masaomi gazed into deep red irises. Izaya was all he'd ever wanted, and he was being offered a chance to return to his blissful affair. What made everything worse was that this was only the second time he was certain that Izaya actually wanted to be with him. Most of their past relationship was spent with Masaomi feeling insecure the whole time, rarely initiating any kind of affectionate or intimate gesture. Now, Izaya was talking about wanting him back so openly. "Stop talking. Please don't make me agonize over this again."

"Too late." Izaya bent down and took the boy's lips in his, kissing Masaomi in a way that made him dizzy, and left wanting more. "Leave her. Leave her for me."

"I can't do that. I love her." His voice grew quieter and more reserved, and his expression showed less hesitance.

"You say, as you relish the touch of someone else." He tightened his grip on Masaomi's hand and pressed their foreheads together. "I won't ignore you, or make you work to win the slightest affection. No more sleeping on the couch or being verbally abused. Saki-chan was once a sweet girl, but she's changed now. She's grown up, and without me, has suddenly been forced into the realities of life. She doesn't know how to make her own decisions, and takes out her frustration on you. Why would you stay with someone like that, when you could be with someone who would adore you and constantly dote on you—remind you that you're wanted?"

Masaomi shut his eyes. "Once we're financially stable again, she'll go back to how she really is—"

"Until she's faced with a minor problem, and resorts to abusing you yet again."

"It's not abuse, Izaya. There aren't…risks involved with dating Saki. She's always been the source of my strength, and will continue to be once we're back on our feet. With you… I never know what's going on in your head. You're interesting and charming, but there's something behind that I just can't put words to. It's something that slowly tears me apart from the inside. You know me too well; you know my weaknesses, strengths, habits, and behavior. But you use those things against me, if only in a subtle, practically unnoticeable, way. Yeah, I was happy with you once, but you betrayed my trust in a way I can never forgive."

"Saki-chan—"

"Was following your orders. She had fallen under your control for a while, but she never abandoned me. She would try to warn me about you without going against you, giving me subtle hints that I shouldn't rely on you too much, and I shouldn't get too close to you."

Izaya smirked. "What makes you think I didn't tell her to do those things?"

Masaomi paused. "You…?"

"I needed you to trust her completely. In order for that to work, she had to pretend that her loyalty was with you. Your relationship with her was a lie. What you see now is who she truly is. The real relationship you had was with me. I want you, Masaomi. Not just your body, but all of you. You want me too, so surrender to me."

The blond shook his head, giving the man a forlorn look. He didn't want to reject Izaya, but he knew that it was necessary. "You have to let me go. From now on, the extent of our relationship will be solely professional. I'm not getting involved with you again, and there's nothing you can say that will change my mind."

Izaya huffed. "Very well. You'll come around eventually, anyway."

"No, I won't. I'm done with you, and I'll break all contact if you try to get me to be more than your employee."

Izaya smiled in a way that made Masaomi uneasy. "You think you can threaten me? You will return me eventually. If you try to cease contact, you'll be sorry you crossed me."

Masaomi closed his eyes, trying to escape that piercing stare. "Izaya-san... I won't threaten you; I'll put up with your harassment because I need this job, but we will never be lovers again." He opened his eyes and looked at Izaya with conviction.

Slender fingers slid his fingers along Masaomi's jawbone. "This is why I find you so interesting, Masaomi-kun. Even backed into a corner, you try to make everyone believe you're in charge—and you often succeed. Of course, I'm in control here, but I still adore that fighting spirit. After all, you're my favorite."

The former gang leader's expression hardened. "Get to the point."

A devious smirk spread across Izaya's face. "There's nothing for me to agree or disagree to. You've stated what you wanted to say, and I listened. You ended the conversation." He kissed Masaomi's cheek. "Go home and get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow."

A light pink color rose to Masaomi's face, but he kept himself composed. He cleared his throat and stood up. "Right. I'll be here at eleven..." He quickly left, resisting the temptation to look back, knowing whatever expression the man was making would cause him to realize how powerless he truly was against Izaya.