So, I've decided that this chapter will be the last. I'm so happy about where this story has ended up. I'm sad that The Puppetmaster is over, but it had to end somewhere. I will be writing a sequel to this. I'm not sure when it will happen; creativity comes to me in waves. I'm sure it won't be more than a few months, though. I love this storyline too much to give it up. They will be adopting! I'm crazy for throwing a child into this, but crazy is sometimes good. I just can't decide how far into the future to set it… I feel like waiting until Kida is 20 is more realistic, but I don't want to have to change his character too much in order to fit his age. I'm thinking 18, maybe? I don't know, what do you guys think?

I'd like to take this time to thank everyone for supporting me. Your kind words and helpful critiques really encouraged me to keep this going, while not making me feel like I'm obligated to post a chapter.

There are so many users I want to thank, but I'd like to especially thank HongIceFan, ben4kevin, Tasha Xu, Dev, SebastianMicchaelis21, and IceCreamDestruction for your continued support through reviews and pm's :)

"Can we go out for dinner tonight?" Kida turned away from the windows and looked at Izaya. He sat a bit away from his desk, sorting through papers on the floor.

"I'm working right now. We'll go out tomorrow."

"You've been saying that for the past three days," Kida whined.

"I've been really busy lately."

"Yeah, I've noticed by the way you act like I'm not here and come to bed in the early hours of the morning."

"Don't sass me. I'm really stressed out."

Kida smiled and knelt next to him. "Maybe you just need a kiss." He leaned in to peck him on the cheek, but was gently pushed away by the man.

"Quit it. What part of I'm busy do you not understand?"

Kida crawled in front of the informant and ducked beneath the sheet of paper he was holding up. Before Izaya could react, he wrapped his arms around his neck and pressed his weight on him, pushing him on his back. He rested his head on the man's chest. "Pay attention to me," he said quietly.

Izaya rubbed circles on his back soothingly. "I'm sorry. Having work isn't an excuse for being cold towards you. I'll get some food together and we can eat in the park. I can put this off until tomorrow if you help me with it."

Kida smiled. "That sounds fair."

The man waited a few moments before speaking again. He tousled the golden locks. "Masaomi, you have to get off me in order to go."

The teen grunted. "Fine." He stood up and flipped his hair in place.

Once Izaya finished making the meal, he placed it in a picnic basket, which somewhat shocked Kida, and grabbed the boy's hand. He smiled and kissed his forehead. "Ready?"

The blonde smiled like a little kid and nodded.

"You aren't afraid that someone will see us?"

"I just don't really care. We haven't spent time together like this for awhile; I want to make the most of it. Besides, it's not like we're out in the open; there are trees everywhere."

Izaya leaned back against the bark and continued to kiss the boy. He couldn't remember the last instance that they'd made out without any intention of going further. It was gentle and sweet. He ran his fingers through Kida's hair.

The younger male sighed happily.

"Hey, Masaomi-kun. So, I guess what everyone's saying is true." Kida looked up to see two boys from his class staring at them.

"What have they been saying?"

"That you're Izaya Orihara's bitch, the information broker from Shinjuku."

"The plot thickens!" Izaya shouted excitedly.

Kida gave him a sideways glance, shocked and slightly frightened by his large smile.

One of the boys looked at the hand around the blonde's shoulders. "Masaomi-kun, do those rings hurt when he shoves his fingers up your ass?" Both boys snickered.

"Actually, it's quite pleasant."

The teens blushed, not expecting him to play along.

Izaya broke the silence. "He's not my bitch, just so we're clear."

"He isn't your sex slave?"

Kida cleared his throat nervously. He couldn't believe how ridiculous the rumors were getting.

"Would you take your sex slave on a picnic in the park? We're just a normal couple. Now scram before I pound some sense into you." He kissed Kida again, not waiting to see if they were planning to leave. Suddenly, he jumped to his feet and pulled out his knife. Kida was always amazed by Izaya's ability to sense what was going on around him. "You know who I am, and you still want to fight me?"

"We also heard that you've lost your touch. I mean, being gay makes you all feminine and shit."

Izaya rolled his eyes, ignoring their immature stereotyping. "What makes you think I'm gay?"

"Um, you have a boyfriend."

"I don't have a sexual preference. You know, stereotyping for the sake of being cruel is really lame; actually, bullying in general is lame. You're the weak ones in this situation. Do you really want to fight me?"

"No, but we can take out Masaomi-kun."

"You mean with this weakly planned sneak-attack?" He took a few steps backwards and dragged forward a boy who had been hiding behind the large tree.

"H-how...?"

Izaya threw him to the ground. "I thought you knew who you were dealing with. I'll give you one last chance to go before I leave permanent shoe marks on your faces."

The boys quickly scurried away, not looking back. Izaya put his knife away and returned to his spot next to Kida. "What are you smiling at?"

The teen moved closer, snuggling into him. "You're really hot when you're intimidating."

"Are you upset that your peers know about us?"

Kida thought for a moment. "No, not really. The hype has the entire summer to quiet down, anyway. There will be a new piece of gossip soon enough. I want to be with you for the rest of my life; I might as well get used to people seeing us together. I'm not embarrassed about it, and I don't want to hide anymore."

Not bothering to further the conversation, the raven tipped the boy's chin up and captured his lips, using the same technique as before. He pulled Kida closer, gently stroking his back. He broke the contact and leaned his head against the tree, closing his eyes.

Confused, the blonde touched his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just...content. It feels nice."

Kida smiled. "I love you, Izaya."

He pulled the boy's head to his chest. "I love you, too."

Later That Night

Izaya backed Kida into the couch and kissed him. He abruptly pulled away after a few short seconds and rushed towards his windows. He placed one hand on the glass and breathed heavily.

The teen immediately hurried to his side. "Izaya, is there something wrong?"

"No. There's nothing wrong, which is why I'm being an idiot."

He was unsure of how to reply. "You're…not an idiot…"

"I am, but I'm okay with it just this once. I've been meaning to do this for a few weeks now."

"Do what?"

"We'll have to wait two years, and we'll have to go to America where I have citizenship…"

"Wait, did I miss something? What are you talking about?"

Izaya pushed himself off of the glass and fell to his knees. Just before the teen could react with concern, he moved so that only one knee touched the ground. He slowly looked up, staring into the beautiful chestnut eyes of his boyfriend with intent. He grabbed one of the boy's hands and kissed it. "I want to be with you, Masaomi. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I love you so much."

Kida nearly fell to the floor. "A-are you…? Izaya…?" His voice cracked. His pulse raced out of control when he saw the man's hand move to his pocket.

He pulled out a small, midnight blue box and opened it slowly. It contained a shining silver ring; it was simple, yet elegant.

"Masaomi, will you marry me?" He slipped the ring on Kida's finger and looked at him expectantly.

Kida felt as if all of the air had suddenly escaped from his lungs. He dropped down to his knees, no longer able to stand. Wrapping his arms around Izaya, a single tear ran down his cheek as he finally found the word he was looking for. "Yes."

Woooo! Hooray for gay marriage! It's not legal in Japan, but I did some research and found a loophole by conveniently revealing that Izaya has citizenship in America, and Japan recognizes it, in a way, if one partner has foreign citizenship in a country (or part of a country) where gay marriage is legal :)

Before I write the sequel to this, I will be writing an IzaKida Mpreg fic! The first chapter will be posted soon.

Thanks again for all of your support! 3