A/N: I can't believe I'm updating two stories in one day.

Find me in a couple of days, I'm in the process of finishing the next chapter for The Trouble With Soulmates. I am on a roll when it comes to Shizaya.

Enjoy.

Summary: Trust is dangerous, but it has the opportunity to become something good.

Izaya is not by nature a particularly trusting person.

Of course, he has good reason to be this way. In his line of work, too much trust is just an accident waiting to happen. You can't cook an omelet without breaking a few eggs and you can't become an informant without collecting a few enemies along the way. And he doesn't mean the dastardly, mustache twirling villains, or the grand, imposing rivals either.

Enemies like these are perfectly content to slip something into his drink, or shoot him in a nondescript dirty alley, or slit his throat while alone with him in a dark room.

It follows that the Raven doesn't trust easily, considering how deadly it can be. If he could have had his way, Izaya would never rely on another soul, simply out of principle. After all, you can only trust yourself, and if you failed, then clearly you weren't deserving of your own trust at all.

Trust is as bad as faith. Both are illogical, and neither are based on anything even resembling reality.

Yet Izaya had long ago come to terms with the fact that he couldn't get through what he intended to be a very long life without trust. Turns out, it's an integral part of society. Who knew?

Of course, just as trusting too much is dangerous, there's an equal amount of risk in putting the little trust acceptable in the wrong place. Those aforementioned knives in the back can come from anywhere, and the Raven is only too aware of this fact.

So far, Izaya has avoided an unpleasant death deftly and in much the same way he avoids other dangers.

Careful observation, judicious action, and any number of failsafes and backup plans.

Naturally, trust is something that has many manifestations, all of them of equal importance. What concerns Izaya most though is trust in humans. This is something he has little of. It helps that he doesn't really have many friends. Or anyone else to be close to for that matter...

Unfortunately, despite his aversion to the matter, Izaya's job is dangerous, and at the end of the day, he has to lean on other people occasionally, if only to keep from needing to rely on anyone too heavily in the future.

Previously, Izaya had two people he actually trusted. Shinra, by necessity and Namie, by choice. That might seem like an awfully short list but if Izaya had it his way, it would be shorter. The doctor is unpredictable and his secretary is only trustworthy as long as he makes it advantageous for her to be so.

Now, well, Izaya's realizing that somewhere along the line, that short list grew, just a bit.

He could recount the whole story if asked, analytically putting into words the mildly unbelievable path he's taken to this moment. It's a collection of harrowing incidents and unmentionably soft evenings that hardly seem real one second while being the most concrete thing on the planet the next. And Izaya could tell you all about it.

But at a passing glance, which is all he tends to give it ―for the sake of his own sanity― he doesn't know where to start. The whole thing is a muddle of emotions, thoughts, mistakes and miracles. It's a series of conscious decisions that Izaya made, without coercion, the good and the bad.

Understandably, in his opinion, it's all happened very fast, but that doesn't stop it from being a choice.

The result? Things he never imagined he'd experience. Memories he's not sure what to do with.

Pain that tore through his very soul. Joy free of stipulations and fleeting circumstance.

Izaya used to pride himself in existing as a fairly self contained entity. There were of course people around him, more or less, but they didn't affect the Raven, never helped or assisted him in any emotional way. And no matter what came up, he never reached out for them. He didn't need other people, especially humans, pitiful and unreliable that they could be.

If anything, he's the one who needs to help other people. Show them the truth of the world when all they can do is wander within it blindly.

Izaya didn't need anyone else.

And yet…

His life has been slowly changing. It's not something he tends to think about, because whenever the thought occurs to him, he has to sit there for several minutes and just ponder. Because for better or for worse, Izaya's life is entirely different. Everything has been upended, and wonder of all wonders, he doesn't mind.

For the first time in his life, he isn't alone, nor does he want to be.

What makes it strange is that Izaya is willingly allowing the changes in himself to take place. Usually, whenever he feels something like this, something so akin to weakness it might as well be a synonym, he pushes it away. Forcefully, with as many sharp objects and cutting words he can muster.

But he hasn't pushed Shizuo away yet, and he doesn't intend to.

Even when they were still fighting and at each other's throats, Izaya kept letting himself fall deeper.

At first, it had been big, earth shattering changes. Being close to another person, talking to them in a way that somewhat resembles normality. Not running when the urge to reach out for the blond idiot came over him.

Allowing someone else to support him, when he'd never dreamed he'd do similar.

Now, the shifts are smaller, and Izaya hardly bats an eye at them.

Shizuo has one side of Izaya's dresser for his clothes. A new end table sprung up at some point so there's more room for them.

Izaya's bathroom smells like the blond, even when the man isn't around.

Somewhere in Ikebukuro, there's a smaller, smoke filled apartment that has Izaya's spare coat hanging by the door, and an alarm set for five in the morning, even though Shizuo wakes up at seven. The couch has a second, slightly smaller depression in the cushions.

And here in Izaya's living room, there's an ashtray resting on the coffee table.

If he's being perfectly honest with himself, when Izaya thinks about these recent changes, they feel much more world ending than anything previous ever did. At least before he could point out what was happening, could put a name to all the incomprehensible things he did. Now, it's just normal.

No, it's something a lot deeper.

It's trust.

It's a steady, unfathomable, comfortable reliance that a person wholly separate from the Raven and in no way under his control isn't going to up and leave him one day, or poison him, or shoot him, or stab him, or hurt him in some other way. The feeling shakes him to his very core. Thankfully, he doesn't think about it often, so usually, it ends up being what trust is supposed to be.

Instinctive, natural, and comforting.

The list of people he trusts has grown, and Shizuo's inclusion on that list is the most normal thing ever.

Izaya realizes it's true as he stares down at the key clutched between his thumb and forefinger. There's only three others like it in the world. One of them sits in Shinra's second desk drawer. A second rests comfortably on Namie's key ring that she keeps permanently attached to her small purse. The third sits in Izaya's pocket, along with all manner of other theoretically useful junk.

This forth one is something new, and the longer he stares at it, the hotter it seems to grow. Just as it becomes almost painful to hold, there's a knock at Izaya's apartment door. Puffing out his cheeks slightly, the Raven slips off his chair and to his feet. The key vanishes into one of his jeans' pockets to be dealt with later.

Shizuo's waiting behind the door, as Izaya knew he would be. They exchange warm, yet tired smiles, then Izaya's stepping aside and allowing the blond entry into his home.

It's getting close to a year now. As Izaya absently watches the way the man unclips his bowtie and shuts the door behind him, he realizes it's more normal for Shizuo to be there than not. He's never thought that about someone before. Even his secretary who is there almost every day doesn't feel as natural in the space as the blond.

Of course, Izaya thinks absently as Shizuo turns once more to face him, it probably has something to do with the fact they're together.

"You look tired," Izaya hums, sashaying across the room, back to his desk and theoretically his work. But he's not focused on the report he recently received from one of his more trusted sources, no, his attention is entirely fixated on the man behind him.

Huffing, Shizuo runs a hand through his blond hair, causing it to look wilder than it already does. The action prompts a slight smile that tugs at Izaya's lips. "Eh, it's just the same old shit."

"Nothing too horrible, I hope," the Raven murmures in response, listening as Shizuo's feet softly pad over the hardwood. Turning, he finds his Blond following him like a puppy, adorably soft expression included. "If there's anyone I need to speak to, you only have to ask~"

"I don't need you to fucking kill someone Flea, don't be stupid." As the back of Izaya's legs hit his desk, he pauses, and waits for Shizuo to reach him.

"When you put it like that, it sounds evil, Shizu-chan," Izaya complains, though he doesn't really mind. Both of them know he's serious, just as well as they know that Shizuo would never let the Raven do something like that for him. Not if he has any say in it.

It's another matter of trust, Izaya's discovered, knowing that his blond idiot will tell him if something is seriously wrong. He doesn't need to hover or lurk or suspect, because Shizuo isn't going to hide things from him, as strange as that sounds. Considering this is the only place Izaya's ever going to extend this kind of concern, it's nice to know the effort is appreciated.

A hand comes to rest on the wood of the desk beside the Raven. Shizuo looms over him, exhaustion giving way to a tender smile that warms his golden eyes and softens his brow. "I'm fine Izaya, it wasn't anything serious. No one's dead, nothing important broke."

The day life doesn't piss off Shizuo Heiwajima, Izaya thinks, as he reaches up and trails thin fingers over the man's cheek. Is the day the world ends.

Lips meet his, Izaya leans into the contact like it's second-nature. At this point, he's pretty sure it is. He's not sure where he'd be without this. Quite likely at the bottom of a ditch somewhere. Already rotted away, lost to the sands of time. Forgotten.

No, not forgotten, but certainly not remembered in a good way.

"I've already ordered dinner," Izaya comments, once his mouth is his own again. Only half listening, Shizuo keeps rubbing circles into Izaya's hip with his thumb. "I figured you'd be home late, as usual."

"Heh, when am I not?" Shizuo questions, leaning back slightly so his eyes can scan over the rest of the room. Izaya's about to respond with something snarky, when he remembers the key sitting in his back pocket, and he falls silent.

It's been a long time since he felt truly nervous like this, especially around Shizuo. Most of their relationship has been a matter of I won't say anything if you don't. This is most definitely saying something. But, he figures, if he doesn't bring it up, then he never will.

If he's being honest, it's just another small thing, and Izaya's gotten very good at ignoring those little things in the interest of enjoying the experience as a whole. Nothing is going to change. It's just the next step. Despite all the reservations he should have had and doesn't, the Raven is ready. Beyond ready.

So he clears his throat. "I went out today?"

"Oh?" Shizuo has managed to distract himself with the hem of Izaya's shirt, but Izaya knows the man is paying attention.

"I've… been meaning to for a while now, but what with one thing and another I haven't had time." Reaching behind him, Izaya winkles the key free from his pocket. "But, seeing as I didn't have much to do today, I made good use of my time."

He holds the little piece of metal up between them. Shizuo stares down at it nonplussed. "I… think I missed something."

Amused, Izaya lets out a puff of air that sounds a little like a laugh. "Don't be stupid, beast."

"Promise I'm not trying to be," Shizuo responds, not contesting the accusation of idiocy like he might have once upon a time.

Ah, I actually have to say it. I suppose I should have expected this. Izaya draws in a deep breath. He's not even nervous anymore, not really. Because he knows that in the grand scheme of things, a door key is a very small thing.

But to him, it means quite a lot, and he's not sure he could explain that to Shizuo even if he had all the time in the world.

Somehow though, he pushes past those emotions and presses the key into Shizuo's chest. "It's a key to the apartment, Shizu-chan," he hums, staring up into golden eyes and losing himself in them for a moment. The blond doesn't move, he just stares at Izaya in silence, brows furrowing slightly as though in thought.

Gradually becoming uncomfortable, Izaya puffs out his cheeks and continues, "I mean, seeing as I have a key to your place, and you're here almost every day, and it doesn't make sense for me to come find you in the middle of the day just to give you a key when I'm not going to be there in the evening, I figured it'd be much easier if I just made you a spare copy so that you could let yourself in. Besides, we've been together for- For a while now, and I-"

His rambling words are cut short when Shizuo's fingers close around the key Izaya's still holding out to him, and his lips brush against the Raven's forehead. Instantly, Izaya's batting him away, letting out a sound of complaint as he does, but he catches the soft look on Shizuo's face, and it only makes him squirm more.

"Thanks, Flea." It's such a simple thing.

To Izaya, it's trust, and maybe, it's a whole lot of other things as well.

A/N: It's a simple chapter. We need to have those once in a while.

The next chapter is more smut because honestly no one can stop me. I started this story for one reason and one reason only. I intend to see that purpose through.