A/N: This was something I started a while ago and never got around to finishing until now. Sorry if there's a little OOCness, and it's not that good, so you've all been warned. If you're okay with that, and if you like Shizaya, then you might like this! Please enjoy!

It was the end of the world.

Well, not really, but it sure seemed like it as Izaya strolled through the streets of the once-bustling district of Ikebukuro. The streets were vacant, the only sounds heard were the wind whisking through the tall skyscrapers and the light, sporadic tapping of his footsteps on the road.

A few days ago, it was announced that the entirety of Japan was about to be hit by a massive earthquake, which could very well destroy the entire country, making it uninhabitable due to the radiation that was sure to escape from the power plants. The following days were chaos as people desperately fled the island nation for America or Asia. It had been a truly fascinating sight, to watch the people that he loved so dearly react to this disastrous news. Certainly a wonderful way to end his world.

Izaya, after a bit of thinking, had decided to stay.

He wasn't sure why he wanted to, he wasn't sure if it was a good idea, he wasn't sure if anything would actually happen. But he was sure he needed to stay. Call it an informant's intuition. They have to have a good one of that, after all.

Namie had called him crazy. But then, she had already known that he was.

Shiki had said he'd be losing a good man. Izaya had never liked being called his anyway.

Mairu and Kururi had laughed at him for being dumb. The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.

Kida had just started laughing. Screw you too.

Celty had told him to leave Japan with them. She's too nice for her own good.

And Shinra had only told him one thing: "Do what you need to do."

And that was exactly what Izaya intended to do.

Because he was on a hunt, a hunt for a certain blonde-haired delinquent in a bartender's suit, a man that Izaya just knew was still in the city. And surely, with a little luck-

"IIIIIIZZZZZAAAAAAAAAYYYYAAAAAAAAAAA-KKUUUUUNNN!"

And there it was. Izaya sighed happily as the familiar roar of anger met his ears. Pure bliss. He smirked as the blonde stalked towards him angrily.

"Why, Shizu-chan! What a surprise! I totally didn't expect you to still be here!" He crowed happily, obviously lying through his teeth. "You just couldn't stay away, could you?"

"We have unfinished business, flea." Shizuo growled back, uprooting a nearby lamp post like it was a daisy in wet soil.

"Aw, you wanna die together? I'm flattered, really! I had no clue you liked me so much!" He nimbly dodged out of the way as the lamp post flew past his head, missing him by an inch. "But you do know the city's collapsing, right? There's no way you can be that braindead, ne? Well, you always have exceeded my expectations."

"Shut up!" Shizuo roared back. "I have no intention of dying here. But you might be a different story."

"Is that a threat? Why, Shizu-chan! I'm hurt!"

"Please," he responded. "As if you can feel anything but sadistic pleasure."

This bothered Izaya. He narrowed his eyes, sending an icy glare in retort. "Don't use words you don't know, Shizu-chan. And that's enough talking. You want me? Well, come on then."

And with that, he spun on his heels, sprinting down the empty road just as a tremor shook the city. Izaya glanced around as the tall skyscrapers began to creak and moan as the ground shook beneath his feet. He diverted his attention to the ground where he was running so he wouldn't trip. There was no need to watch Shizuo, he could easily hear his loud footsteps on the broken pavement.

If anyone had been there to watch the two, they would have said it looked more like the two were dancing. A bloodthirsty, violent dance, but a dance nonetheless. For every step Izaya made, Shizuo matched him. For every thrown vending machine, trash can, and lamp post, Izaya ducked out of the way so elegantly it was as if he wasn't even trying. And as the buildings shook and dust was kicked up and the ground cracked, the two remained unfazed. For them it was just another day in Ikebukuro.

And then Izaya stepped on a patch of ground that wasn't quite stable.

He uttered a yelp of surprise as it caved beneath his feet, sending him spiralling down. He wrapped his arms around his head as he pitched forward, falling over a small cliff that was formed after the road splintered apart. Izaya hit the ground harder than he would've liked, and he lay there, the wind knocked out of him and his vision slightly blurred. He blinked a few times and shook his head, clearing his vision- just in time to see part of a building come crashing down on top of him. A strangled cry of shock echoed out from Izaya's mouth as he tried to dart away from it, but he still hadn't quite recovered from his fall. He only barely managed to duck out of the way and avoid being crushed, but as it smashed into the ground, it caught his foot underneath it.

Shizuo came to a halt in front of him as a cry of pain ripped from Izaya's mouth. The raven-haired man whimpered as he slowly sat up, trying and failing to pull his leg out from between the concrete prisons. However, when he noticed Shizuo in front of him, he quickly shut up. There was no way he was going to let his mortal enemy see him like this.

"Guess you win, Shizu-chan." He said lightly, forcing his voice to remain calm. "Looks like it's my loss today."

Shizuo stared back at him, his face a mask of emotions, none of which Izaya wanted to see expressed on his face. Especially not towards him.

"You should be rejoicing right now, Shizu-chan. Don't look so upset." He chuckled. When Shizuo didn't respond, he continued. " Look, I don't want your pity, Shizu-chan. Take it somewhere else. In fact, take it back to Shinra and Celty. Go tell everyone how you finally rid Ikebukuro of that annoying flea. You should go. Go and keep living. One of us has to. There'd be no proof of a winner if we both died, and that's not fun at all. Show me a monster like you can be perfectly fine without someone like me to keep them entertained."

Shizuo was silent for a long time. He looked as though he was trying to figure out what he wanted to say but couldn't find the right words to say it. Finally, he settled on a very simple sentence.

"...I don't want it to end like this."

Izaya couldn't believe what he was hearing. This was the man who had hated him since high school. His mortal enemy. And he was saying he didn't want Izaya dead. Izaya stared at him in shock, before laughing.

"What are you saying, Shizu-chan? This is what you've always wanted."

A strange look crossed Shizuo's face. Izaya was used to evoking strange emotions from the man, but this was different. He almost looked… sad.

And then he narrowed his eyes, cursed under his breath, and stalked over to Izaya. The raven-haired man flinched, squeezing his eyes shut so he wouldn't see the blow that was inevitably coming.

But instead, he felt the concrete and steel boulder lift off of his foot, and as he opened one eye, he quickly turned away, not wanting to see what his foot looked like now. So he looked at Shizuo instead, who was in the middle of throwing the chunk of rock far away. And then the blonde turned back to him and leaned down. Izaya's eyes narrowed. He still had his knife in his pocket, and just because one of his feet was crushed didn't mean he couldn't fight back.

However, warm arms wrapped around him, one under his legs, the other clutching his shoulders tightly, and he was lifted into the air. Izaya's crimson eyes snapped up to stare in shock at Shizuo, who glanced down at him before clicking his tongue and turning away as best he could while still holding the man protectively in his arms.

"What's this?" Izaya said rawly, his voice failing to reach that lilting humorous tone he used to discard awkward or strange situations.

"What do you think?" Shizuo spat out as he began moving forwards, sidestepping falling buildings and chunks of asphalt with a kind of grace you wouldn't think a man like him would have. "I'm saving you."

Izaya tried to think of a retort, but quickly realized that his mouth was failing him now. Instead he just closed his gaping jaw, trying desperately to wrap his head around what Shizuo had just said.

"Why?" He said finally, and when Shizuo heard this, he stopped. Looking down at Izaya, Shizuo was shocked. The normally cool, confident man who had sent him to jail and gotten him jumped thousands of times now seemed small and frail, not to mention how light the information broker actually weighed. Shizuo knew he had always looked thin, but actually holding him like this made it seem like he was more malnourished than skinny. Noticing him staring, Izaya scowled and snapped his head away, shoving against the blonde's chest in a weak attempt to free himself.

"I don't know why," Shizuo answered. "It's more like why not if anything. It's pathetic."

"Me?" Izaya scoffed. "You're calling me pathetic?! If this is you trying to justify this, you're doing a helluva shitty job you damn-"

"Not you," Shizuo cut him off, and Izaya stared at him incredulously. "Me. This. Everything. This stupid rivalry we have. What's even the point? To think that a tiny flea like you can give me so much trouble is pathetic. And what's even worse is that, after all you've done to me, I can't hate you. I never could. And I don't think I even want to try anymore. It's just…"

"Pathetic?" Shizuo glanced down at him, and for a split second, Izaya thought he saw something close to a smile on the blonde's face.

"Exactly," Shizuo confirmed. Izaya shrugged, as if saying he was neither right nor wrong, before turning away, looking down at the ground as Shizuo carried him. As the blonde walked, he could feel the thin man still, giving up on resisting, and settle into his arms, a faint tinge of red brushing his embarrassed cheeks. A bit unsettled by the man's lack of resistance, Shizuo tried to ignore the awkward silence and focus on walking steadily. And for a long time, the only noise was the sound of the collapsing city falling down around them and the rumble coming from the ground. The worst had yet to come, and they both knew this was only the beginning.

"Where exactly are you going?" Izaya asked Shizuo suddenly, his voice barely a whisper, so quiet that Shizuo barely heard him.

"Away from here," Shizuo said simply.

"What's the point?" Izaya hissed suddenly, turning to send an angry glare up at Shizuo, the one he reserved for only his most hated enemies in only the most upsetting situations. "We can't escape anymore. You and I, we'll die here. You might as well just leave me here. I'd rather die alone than next to you, I'd rather die in any possible way as long as you're not here! You can't save anyone, Shizu-chan! You never could!"

For a moment, Shizuo seriously considered it. He started to feel pissed, he started to get angry, he could feel a vein popping out on his forehead, and as he looked down, he was ready to yell at Izaya, ready to attack him like he had always done before. But then he caught a glimpse of Izaya's face.

The information broker, who always wore a mask that varied from amused to bored, who always was calm and collected and just a little crazy, who was always just apathetic, looked... He looked sad. He had never looked sad before, not in front of people, and certainly not Shizuo. But as Izaya glanced up at him for a single second before quickly looking away, Shizuo definitely saw pain in those crimson eyes. And suddenly all the pieces clicked.

"You don't mean that," Shizuo said firmly, and continued before Izaya could refute him. "You're trying to get me to abandon you and leave you behind so that I can escape."

"Th-that's not it!" Izaya practically shrieked, his face turning bright red. "I really don't want to die with you!" Shizuo started laughing and Izaya turned even redder. "Why are you laughing, you dumbass?! Why do you want to die all of a sudden?! I'm trying to help you here, why can't you just accept that?!"

"Because, you stupid flea," Shizuo replied. "I'm not trying to die with you. I'm trying to live with you. It's as simple as that, so don't overcomplicate things. You and I are the monsters of Ikebukuro. What kind of monsters would we be if we couldn't survive a little earthquake?" Izaya stared up at him in shock, and Shizuo, for the first time actually stared back.

"...I wouldn't really call this little." Izaya said finally, his eyes crinkling at the ends as a faint smile stretched across his face. This was, quite possibly, the first time Shizuo had ever seen Izaya make a face like that. It was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen.

Suddenly self-conscious, the blonde quickly looked away, doing his best to suppress the red tinge creeping up his cheeks. "Doesn't matter," he said. "We'll get out anyway."

"If you say so, then it must be true," Izaya answered, finally settling backwards into Shizuo's arms. "You've never lied, after all."

"That hasn't stopped people from not believing me before," Shizuo replied. "So why you?"

"Why not?" Izaya echoed. "I've always believed in you, Shizu-chan. Always." For some reason, that came out more embarrassing than Izaya thought, and when he looked up at Shizuo, he saw that the blonde was actually blushing like mad.

"Oi, oi, oi, Shizu-chan, what's with that face?!" Izaya cried as he felt his own face heating up. Apparently embarrassment was contagious. "Was it that embarrassing?"

"Coming from you? Yeah," the blonde muttered in response.

"Well then, chock one up for Iza-Iza," the raven haired man chuckled. "Looks like I can still irritate you, even when I'm immobile."

"Of course," Shizuo answered. "You wouldn't be a flea if you couldn't."

"That's true," Izaya murmured and the two were silent for a moment, the only audible sounds heard was the rumbling of the ground as the tremors began to worsen.

"Hey Shizu-chan?" Izaya asked suddenly, breaking through the silence as the blonde looked down at him. "Remember when we first met?"

"Sadly, yes," Shizuo answered, his eye twitching in irritation. "You tried to stab me, how could I forget?" Izaya snickered as Shizuo scowled at him.

"Well, I was young," Izaya replied. "Follies of youth and all that. I was actually very excited to meet you after I heard from Shinra about your strength."

"What, excited to meet a monster?" Shizuo said sarcastically.

"No," Izaya murmured. "Excited to meet another monster. One like me." Shizuo looked at him in shock and saw a rare expression of loneliness on the man's face. He didn't like that either.

"...You're not a monster," Shizuo answered finally. "Not really. Not like me."

"There are two kinds, Shizu-chan," Izaya stated, pointing at Shizuo. "You, who's physically like one, and me, who's more… mental, I guess, is the right word for it. Everyone's always called me that, and if you repeat something enough times, it becomes true right? Well, after everything I've done, I suppose I'm pretty fucked up inside."

"You're not a monster," Shizuo snapped suddenly. "You're not. You're just human."

"A human who pisses you off, one that you call flea and always try to kill," Izaya snickered. "You're not really making your point here."

"That's different! You do that to me too!" The blonde said angrily. Sighing, he muttered under his breath "Anyways, why are you telling me all this now?"

"Hmm," the raven-haired man murmured, closing his eyes with a sigh. "I wonder." Shizuo stared at him for a moment before frowning.

"It better not be because you think we're gonna die," he growled. "Because I already said I'm gonna save you. I don't lie, remember?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Izaya answered. "Besides, if we're being completely honest… I don't really want to die."

"Wow, what a surprise."

"Shut up! That's not what I meant! When I told people that I was staying, I…" Izaya's voice trailed off and his crimson eyes clouded as they stared into the distance.

"You what?" Shizuo prompted and Izaya snapped up to look at him in surprise, before shaking his head slightly.

"Ah, sorry," he answered. "I guess I wanted someone to tell me to escape. Or I wanted someone to stay with me. I wanted someone to need me. I didn't actually know for sure if you would be here or not, but I thought I should try. I thought that maybe, just maybe, out of everyone in Ikebukuro, you would be the one to stay here with me. Even if you didn't mean to. And it looks like I was right."

"...Do you realize how much that sounds like a confession?" Shizuo muttered awkwardly, a blush creeping across his face. Izaya glanced at him before smiling softly.

"I guess it is."

It took a moment for those words to resonate in Shizuo's brain. He opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. Izaya looked at him and laughed out loud.

"You're bright red! Just like a tomato!" Izaya crowed.

"You can't just spring something like that on me and then not expect this reaction!" Shizuo countered. "I mean, what the hell you stupid flea, why tell me that now?! Why the fuck were you trying to kill me?"

"I'm not quite sure," Izaya mused, a real expression of confusion on his face. "I've never liked someone before or felt something like 'love' for anything other than human behavior. I didn't even realize it until now. Maybe it's because I didn't want anyone to take you from me, so if I killed you, you'd be all mine."

"That's so weird," Shizuo muttered embarrassedly, unable to think of anything else.

"Yup," Izaya answered cheerily. When Shizuo didn't respond, he continued. "Don't think too much about it, Shizu-chan. I'm not expecting a response or anything like that. Right now, with things like this, you actually helping me… that's enough." His voice quavered a bit at that last part and Shizuo felt a sharp pang in his chest. He stopped abruptly as shock coursed through him. As Izaya looked at Shizuo in confusion, the blonde just stood still. He couldn't believe it. This couldn't possibly be happening. He couldn't actually be caring about Izaya, could he? There's just no way; he hated him. Or he always thought he had. So what was with this weird feeling inside his chest, in the exact area that Shinra had described when he asked what made him know he loved his Celty. His heart couldn't actually be racing from Izaya and yet… why did the information broker's confession make him feel so happy?

"Shizu-chan?" Izaya asked worriedly. "Why'd you stop? The earthquake is still here, we need to go. Is something wrong?" No response. "Look, if this is because I told you I liked you, then forget it, okay? It's not worth dying over, let's just go. I already said you don't have to answer me so-" He was cut off as something crashed into his face. It took a second for Izaya to realize that it was Shizuo's lips.

The pair of lips was surprisingly soft and gentle for a man like him, pressing against Izaya's as they slowly forced his mouth open, just enough for Shizuo's tongue to sneak it's way inside. The kiss was warm and gentle, and as Shizuo's tongue began to etch out every little corner of Izaya's mouth, the raven-haired man could feel shivers shooting down his spine as he wrapped his arms around Shizuo's neck and melted into the kiss. The blonde was a sloppy kisser (big surprise) but Izaya didn't care. This was everything he had never knew he dreamed of. This was everything that made him truly want to stay alive. To stay with Shizuo. This was everything.

All too soon it ended and the two pulled away, leaving a panting Shizuo staring down intensely at a positively ravished Izaya lying in his arms. The man's ebony hair was ruffled and sticking up in strange places from their heads being so close together, his cheeks a deep crimson red. Soft pants whispered out from between his lips, shiny and wet, and his eyes were hazed over with lust and desire.

Shizuo didn't think he had ever seen someone so beautiful before.

And then Izaya's eyes met his and a wide smile stretched across his face and he laughed. Not the forced laughter Shizuo was all-too-familiar with, not the maniacal cackle Izaya made when he won, not the condescending snicker. A true, genuine laugh. It was music to Shizuo's ears.

"What's so funny?" Shizuo asked quietly, still feeling slightly embarrassed. Izaya's laughter died down and he smiled softly.

"Nothing," Izaya murmured. "It's just that love always seemed like something I'd never have. Something that was meant for someone else, not me."

"Well, looks like you were wrong," Shizuo answered.

"Is that so?" Izaya said and glanced up at the blonde. "You know, you still haven't answered me."

"It feels weird to say…" Shizuo replied embarrassedly, looking away.

"C'mon, Shizu-chan," Izaya purred, reaching up to remove the sunglasses from Shizuo's face to reveal his chocolate brown eyes. "If I can do it, so can you, right? Or are you admitting defeat?" Shizuo's eyes narrowed into the classic glare he reserved only for Izaya.

"Like I'd lose to you," Shizuo answered, before lifting Izaya up so that his raven hair brushed Shizuo's lips. The blonde whispered something barely audible into Izaya's ear and the man blushed furiously as Shizuo lowered back to where he had been before.

"Sh-Shizu-chan, that's way too extreme!" Izaya stammered in embarrassment. "There's no way that could happen! There's every possibility that we'll die here, how can I spend the rest of my life with you?"

"Even if we die, it'll be together," Shizuo replied, smiling at the information broker. "Isn't that what you want?"

"I think you mean what you want," Izaya replied in irritation.

"No," Shizuo answered. "I don't want to die together." Izaya's eyes widened for a moment, before he frowned and looked away.

"Then why did you-" he started to mutter, but Shizuo cut him off.

"I want to live together," he said. "Not just staying alive with you, I want to stay with you. For the rest of our lives, let's live together. I'm not letting you slip out of my reach again." Izaya stared at him for a long time, frozen in shock and unable to say anything as his face turned even redder. Finally he sighed, and shook his head.

"Geez, Shizu-chan," he muttered, holding his hands over his face. "I don't know how you can say something so embarrassing."

"Did you not like it?" Shizuo asked and Izaya shook his head fiercely.

"That's not it!" He replied quickly, lowering his hands just enough to reveal his crimson eyes peeking over his fingertips. "I just… didn't think it was possible to be this happy."

Shizuo stared at Izaya for a moment just as a soft guffaw escaped his lips before quickly turning into laughter. Izaya blushed even deeper as Shizuo laughed.

"Shut up!" He yelled. "Stop laughing at me when I can't fight back, Shizu-chan! God, you're so irritating!"

"Apparently, you love me anyway," Shizuo answered. Izaya froze for a moment before looking away, his cheeks puffing out in a pout. He muttered something under his breath.

"What was that?" Shizuo asked. Izaya's eyes snapped over to look at him.

"I said yes!" He snapped, before looking away again. Shizuo smirked and began snickering again. "I just said to stop laughing!" Izaya cried. "Do your ears not work or something?!"

"Sorry, sorry," Shizuo said between fits of laughter. "I've just never seen you act so cute before." Izaya froze, and Shizuo could tell he was doing his best to keep a smile from sneaking out.

"Well, of course!" he answered. "Izaya Orihara is always adorable!"

"Yeah," Shizuo agreed. "I'm surprised no one else noticed until now."

"Oh, shut up," Izaya replied, his will to retort practically dead from embarrassment at this point. "Consider yourself lucky no one else stole me away while you were being slow and stupid."

"Yeah, I am," Shizuo answered, smiling as he watched Izaya's face morph into one of obvious awkward happiness.

"...Shizu-chan, I really do like you a lot," Izaya whispered in a voice so quiet that Shizuo barely heard it. But he heard it all the same.

"Me too," Shizuo murmured, leaning down to kiss the top of Izaya's head. "I like you, Izaya."

Izaya looked up at him as Shizuo pulled away, their eyes meeting as grins broke out across both of their faces. As the city fell around them, the walls they had built between each other collapsed as well, and as the world crumbled around them, they shared a single moment.

…

Do you think they managed to escape? Celty asked as she and Shinra stepped off the personal jet Shinra's father had sent to evacuate the two to Scotland. Shinra glanced at her before turning away.

"If a little earthquake could kill those two, then they wouldn't deserve the title of Ikebukuro's monsters," he answered, crossing his hands behind his head. "Besides, they wouldn't let that happen to each other."

Because they don't want to let an earthquake finish their business? Celty questioned. Shinra turned around and grinned at her.

"Something like that," he replied.

What does that mean?

"Oh nothing. Just that they're not very good at hiding things from me, even things they themselves have yet to figure out. Especially considering they're practically meant to be," Shinra said, smirking as Celty cocked her head in confusion. "Anyways, stop talking about other men with me, Celty, it makes me jealous! I only want to see my name on your screen, no one else's!"

Don't be stupid, Celty typed, her shadow flaring up behind her in an embarrassed fashion. Shinra laughed and threw an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close as they began to walk down the tarmac towards the car that was pulling up on the road beside them.

The aftermath of the earthquake was as devastating as the news had predicted, with portions of Japan actually sinking into the ocean. The tsunamis following had destroyed multiple nuclear power plants and the island nation was still, for the most pat, uninhabitable. As years passed, and the furthermost parts of the country were declared safe to enter, people began to return, but the process was slow and millions had already settled into their new lives. Every once in awhile, pictures of the wreckage that was now Tokyo were shown on the TV. Familiar remnants of Sunshine City and Ikebukuro were among them. As the city began to recover from the radiation, military teams in heavy-duty hazmat suits returned to dig through the wreckage, searching for the bodies of those who failed to escape in time. Of the few that were reported on television, Shizuo and Izaya were never among them.

Years later, after the two had already settled into a small Scottish town that was perfect for them, Shinra and Celty received a package from a small town in Nepal. Among the contents was a short letter with an enclosed DVD.

As Shinra pressed play and the TV flickered to life, footage of raven-haired man walking down a dirt road with a slight limp in his left foot began to roll. The voices were unintelligible, but as another man walked on screen, this one with soft brown hair and chocolate brown eyes, the happiness in their light voices was clear. After a few seconds the DVR reached the end of the short clip, the screen frozen on the two men, both facing the camera a few meters away.

"How the hell did those two even get our address," Shinra muttered, shrugging helplessly as Celty turned to look at him, clapping her hands in happiness.

They look happy, she typed. Shinra turned to stare at the screen, frozen on the smiling faces of the two men.

"What'd I tell you?" he answered. "Those two were meant to be."