Disclaimer: I do not own Durarara! or any of its characters or themes!

As always, be prepared for some OOC-ness in my fics.

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Christmas Eve

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It's Christmas Eve in Ikebukuro and Shizuo has the nightshift for the fourth night in a row. Not that he minds, it's a nice change of pace in comparison to his usual debt collecting gig.

But, he took a temp job for the Festive season shift just for some extra cash. This year he's planning on buying Kasuka a gift, something special. So, there he is. Saving up and getting a strange twinge of nostalgia at the same time.

It was fifteen minutes before closing time, but for the last half hour the bar had been empty. The bar might be empty, but it gave Shizuo the chance to finish washing up and clean most of the bar of the night's work.

"Double sherry on the rocks," a voice orders from behind him, out of the blue.

It's a usual order. Sherry or cognac. Especially around this time of year. Personally, Shizuo would've served up eggnog, if the bar allowed perishables. But, nonetheless, he fills the order and turns around to slide it to the costumer.

"Thanks," the man says, sliding a note across the counter and yawns. The hood covering his face suddenly falls back and a very familiar man looks up to Shizuo.

"Flea? What the hell?" Shizuo growls, slamming his fists on the bar.

"Please, don't yell at me tonight, Shizu-chan. I didn't come to fight, I came to drink," he says and yawns again before chugging the sherry in one shot, "Another, please."

"The hell you didn't," Shizuo snaps, but fills the glass all the same.

"You're working here now?"

"Just for the holidays."

"So… three weeks before you and I can get back to the good old days?" Izaya says with a wink as he slides another note across the counter and retrieves his glass from Shizuo's hand.

"Not unless you start your shit up again tonight," Shizuo glares at him, busying himself by cleaning the counter.

"So, you say you'll go home with me?" Izaya asks lightly. He twirls the ice in his glass around with his finger, lazily staring at Shizuo all the while.

"You can't possibly be that drunk already, flea, " Shizuo says with a roll of the eyes, "And, just in case you are, that will never happen. EVER."

"I'm not drunk," Izaya says and rests his arms on the bar top, leaning heavily into his arms until it looks almost as if he's drowning in his jacket, "It's just… you're the only person I have to spend this time with…"

"Alright, try this instead, the sherry is turning you into an emotional volcano. So…" Shizuo says and hands Izaya a glass of cognac instead of sherry for the next order. "How's that?"

"More ice?" Izaya says and blinks owlishly at Shizuo. He even smiles sweetly at him as he slides an extra dollar across the counter.

"Sure," Shizuo says and plops a couple of cubes into the glass, making sure to tuck the note back into Izaya's pocket, "You can keep that. It's ice, not frozen vodka."

"You are so adorable with those glasses," Izaya suddenly blurts out.

"I think you were drunk when you walked in," Shizuo says with a sigh when Izaya orders yet another glass, "This is your last glass, man."

"Aww, come on!" Izaya says and drops his head unto his arms, "It's not fair."

"Life isn't fair," Shizuo grins and replaces the bottles of liquor back in the cabinet.

"That's not what I meeeeaaan… " Izays lolls his head on his arms from side to side, "I don't have friends to spend it with… or family… and it's stinks to be alone on Christmas…"

"What are you talking about? What about your sisters?" Shizuo says, the confusion pretty obvious in his voice and on his face.

"They left… they're on ex-change student programmm… " Izaya moans and a strange whine emerges from his form. He sounds almost like he's crying, although, it's hard to see his face from where it's buried in his thick parka.

"Are you okay?" Shizuo says, warily touching Izaya's arm. "Are you crying?"

"No… I'm just…" Izaya says, jerks upwards and downs the bitter liquor.

The tear streaks on his face manages to tug at Shizuo's soft spot. And, of course, that soft spot is pretty big. Shizuo himself is a big brother, after all… he couldn't even imagine how unhappy he'd be if Kasuka were to move away.

Izaya's shoulders were trembling as he presses the cold glass to his forehead, rolling the cold glass back and forth across his cheek, almost as if he's looking for comfort from the glass itself.

"Hey… it's okay… okay?" Shizuo finally says and awkwardly pats his shoulder, "What can I do for you?"

"Do you love me?" Izays says with a scoff, giving Shizuo a look that shows the other that he knows the other doesn't. A look of acceptance in defeat. A look of despair.

"Now I definitely know you're drunk…"

"It's okay, I know you don't…" Izaya says with a grin. Although the grin didn't last long, it was suddenly followed by a choked sob. "I'm sorry, it's okay."

Shizuo purses his lips, thinking over his options and finally pours them both a shot glass of cherry liqueur, "Hey, here. On the house… " he says and takes Izaya's hand and props the shot glass into it, "It's Christmas Eve, after all."

"How did you know?"

"Know what?" Shizuo says, a slight dazed look on his face from chugging back the shot. He never was too keen on drinking and he just knew chugging it back like that was a mistake.

"Cherry… it's my favourite," Izaya says, dunking his finger into the liqueur and smudges it on his lips and lifts his eyes up to meet Shizuo, "Please.. please kiss me, Shizuo… just once."

Maybe it's the fact that Shizuo doesn't drink and chugging back the shot on an empty stomach didn't do him any favours. Maybe it's because a very small part of him really sympathizes with his situation. … or maybe…

It's a moment too long that Shizuo leans over the counter to let his lips meet that of his enemy's. It's a moment too long that he lets Izaya lead the kiss and hold unto his tie. It's a moment too long before he leans back, head spinning and dozily opens his eyes.

And sees a bright-eyed grinning Izaya looking back.

"So… soft spot for crying, huh?" a completely sober-looking Izaya leans over the counter and grins, "You're so easy."

"Y-you… you…" was all Shizuo could mutter before the part of the brain that processes words completely shut down.

"That AND you can't hold your alcohol for shit…?" Izaya says and licks his lips seductively, "Seriously. It only took one shot glass, Shizu-chan, really?"

Shizuo's still completely dazed and mouth was still agape –and still tasting like Cherry. He could only watch as Izaya prances –in an actual straight line- out of the bar. Completely sober.

"You should really make sure you build up some alcohol tolerance, Shizu-chan!" he chuckles as he does a swing around the pillar near the exit of the bar like he's Gene Kelly in Singing in the Rain. He pauses, turns back to Shizuo and winks at him, "… someone could take advantage of that weakness…"

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Oh, Izaya, you manipulative smooth criminal!

Thanks for reading! Please drop me pm or review if you liked it! :D