"Shizuo, would you please tell your boyfriend to stop sending me damn riddles already…" Kadota sighs as he looks at his phone for the tenth time that day. "I don't even know how he's getting away with texting me in class so much."

Shizuo blinks in surprise and stops walking to look over Kadota's shoulder at his phone.

They're going to meet Tom on the roof for lunch, as usual, and Shizuo has assumed he'd see Izaya there. As usual. But when he looks at the riddle on Kadota's screen he doesn't think that will be in class.

Shizuo snorts and shakes his head. "Brat must've been skipping class today."

Izaya seemed to take a liking to Kadota when they finally met. And Izaya liking someone always means being annoying. Izaya never blows up Shizuo's phone the way he spams Kadota, and he certainly never flirts with Shizuo in public the way he flirts with Kadota.

The public flirting is why Shizuo is certain he's got nothing to worry about. Izaya would never put real feelings on display like that. He's more difficult with his feelings, preferring to play games and use confusing riddles that Shizuo can never hope to get out of his head.

"I'm going to go get him, thanks for the tip, Kadota."

"Uh, okay… you're welcome?"

Shizuo gives Kadota a wave before heading off to get Izaya. The riddle he sent to Kadota was so obvious…

"I have lots to say but never speak,
I open but you cannot walk through me,
I have a spine but no bones."

The answer is a book. Izaya is telling him to come to the library. And Shizuo is damn sure Izaya meant that message for him, not Kadota. Why else would he annoy Kadota when he knows he's got class with Shizuo?

Shizuo steps into the library and heads for the back where he knows he'll find Izaya hiding.

He's not really surprised Izaya is hiding today. Ever since he introduced Izaya to his friends Izaya's life at school changed completely. The four of them having lunch together, roaming around the city and just generally socializing. Izaya is not used to socializing.

Shizuo figures it was only a matter of time before Izaya got burnt out. He doesn't approve of Izaya ditching class but he really can't blame him for needing to hide and recharge for a day. But Izaya did send him a message and he is happy he's reaching out to him.

Shizuo can't see Izaya sitting in any of the back chairs but he didn't think he would. Maybe he's in his evil lair again…?

No, that's not where Izaya's scent is coming from. He turns into the bookshelves.

He waves in and out through the shelves packed with nonfiction slowly. Izaya's in here and he must know Shizuo is too by now. But he's hiding. He's good at hiding but not from Shizuo.

Shizuo slows when he reaches the old court cases, volumes and volumes of books bound in red that all look the same to him. Nostalgia permeates the air as thick as the scent of bitter almonds and even though Shizuo has no idea what books he was reshelving that day so many weeks ago he knows exactly when he needs to stop.

"I can start a war or end one, I can give you the strength of heroes or leave you powerless, I might be snared with a glance, but no force can compel me to stay; What am I?"

The voice through the shelves comes soft but clear.

Shizuo huffs a laugh. What did he say to Izaya the first day they met again…?

"It's a riddle. Do you give up? Come on, you didn't even try…"

That's right. He told Izaya to leave him alone. And Izaya said that he was nothing. But they were both so wrong.

Shizuo turns to look into the red eyes, a shelf below Shizuo's eye-line, and grins.

"Hey now, let me think about it…" Shizuo whispers back and leans against the shelf in front of him.

"You can start a war with a gang, and end it all on your own.

You can make me strong enough to scale buildings and stand up to my father. You can make me feel weak and powerless against you.

I can catch you, but I could never keep you unless you want me too…"

Izaya's still looking up at him, eyes shining, and the taunts Shizuo's expecting never come.

This time, instead of letting this boy stay a mystery, Shizuo does what he should've on day one. He pulls the books covering Izaya's face out of the shelf and drops them and Izaya chokes out a laugh. Now Shizuo can see the high planes of Izaya's cheekbones, his soft, pink cheeks, the tight and uneven line of Izaya's mouth…

"Hey…" Izaya's voice cracks as he breaks their stare to look down at the empty shelf before him. "That's cheating…"

"But I know the answer this time." Shizuo says, looking at the way Izaya's mouth wavers with emotion as he tries to take a breath but what comes out is a sob.

"It's love."

This riddle was an easy one. The answer was right in front of him.

Shizuo leans down into the space he's created to kiss Izaya from the other side of the bookcase.

Shizuo doesn't know how to kiss and he's too afraid to ruin it by opening his mouth even if he wants to. So it's just a simple press of skin to skin with Shizuo's eyes shut tight.

It's soft and warm and just as addictive as Shizuo imagined it would be but doesn't taste as poisonous as he had thought it might. Shizuo can feel another sob catch on Izaya's lips and he kisses him harder, not wanting to share this small expanse of skin with anything else.

Izaya's lips are trembling under his and Shizuo slowly pulls back. He didn't… misread the situation… right?

He opens his eyes to look at Izaya's expression but Izaya's eyes are still closed. He's still leaning forward with his face tilted up as though Shizuo is still kissing him. Like he doesn't want to let go of the moment. And Shizuo knows he made the right choice.

"Um…" Shizuo's voice cracks for the first time in two years and he clears his throat before speaking again.

"Do you…?" He glances at the closet, not sure how to say it exactly.

Izaya's eyes flutter open and those black lashes have Shizuo falling all over again. His eyes are misty but he follows Shizuo's gaze and still manages a smirk.

"Shizu-chan…" Izaya whispers, sounding almost normal. "Don't tell me kissing one boy has you rushing for the closet again…" He teases.

"Don't call me that," Shizuo replies without thinking. "I… want to hold you."

Izaya's gaze is heavy with heat and Shizuo's words, his lips pulling into that perfectly crooked smile. Shizuo swallows hard and tugs at the suddenly stifling collar of his shirt.

Izaya blinks slowly, like a cat saying "I love you" and leans forward into his side of the shelf.

"Then come and catch me."

And Shizuo does. When he rounds the bookcase Izaya hasn't moved an inch to try and run this time. He's still leaning against that bookshelf with all his weight like he's relying on it for support. Shizuo walks up to Izaya who turns to look at him, his head tilted back, and places his hands on Izaya's waist.

"Ah," Izaya lifts his hands in mock surrender. "You got me."

"Yeah," Shizuo rasps and pulls until he tips Izaya's weight forward to make him fall into his chest. "I did."

Izaya lets Shizuo take him back into their secret space. The same pink blanket is there but there's also a pillow that Shizuo has added, plus a few water bottles to make sure Izaya drinks at least if he's going to hide out all day.

Shizuo kicks some heavy boxes filled with papers to block the door, the kind of boxes a little brat could hide behind, before they tangle together on the floor and Shizuo gets the luxury of weaving his fingers in Izaya's hair for their second kiss.

Izaya has surprised Shizuo time and time again and no matter how well Shizuo feels as though he knows Izaya, he must not know him at all if he wasn't expecting yet another surprise.

But really, how was he supposed to know Izaya would be shaking into pleasure beneath him when Shizuo finally got the courage to brush his tongue over Izaya's lip during their third kiss?

Shizuo had to fix the ensuing embarrassment with more kisses. And by offering a napkin from his packed lunch while he promised not to peek. Because he sure as fuck wasn't going to let Izaya run after a nice surprise like that.

They spend hours making up for all the time they spent… well, not being together. And it feels so right Shizuo can't remember what they were waiting for in the first place.

A/N:

So it's finally come to an end. Thank you all so much for reading my first big story!
It's not perfect but it's all mine and completely unbetaed so I'm very proud of finishing it.
The overwhelming response to this story has been so positive and I am very grateful for all the wonderful reviews I have received. Thank you all for your patience with me.
Please keep an eye out for my username in the future.
More to come.

Please check out the tag #bookcase on my tumblr bad-romance-ships to check out all the awesome fanart people have done for this story, as well as some of my own concept art.

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tagged/bookcase