"Maybe he's just lonely, hm? Maybe he just craves some company."

The words his friend casually muttered a few days ago swirled in his head nonstop, making him more annoyed and angry every second of thinking about it. He hadn’t seen Izaya in Ikebukuro for a while, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t take his anger out on others.

Shizuo continued walking through the familiar streets, each step heavier than the last. The idea of that flea being lonely was absurd. How could someone like him, who thrived off making others miserable, be lonely? And yet, the thought clung to him, refusing to leave. It made his blood boil, not only because it was ridiculous, but because it kept bothering him at all.

“Lonely? Hah. As if.”

His voice rumbled low as he walked, trying to push the thought away, but it was useless. He hadn’t had a good outlet for his frustration lately, and the absence of Izaya’s chaos in the city had left an odd emptiness. His feet moved faster now, as if something was pulling him, dragging him forward. Before he realized it, he was standing in front of a familiar apartment- Izaya's.

He tensed, his fists clenching unconsciously. He didn’t like this. Not one bit. His gut told him to turn back, to walk away before the flea sensed him lurking outside. He could go. Leave. Find another way to burn off this boiling frustration. But he couldn’t. The itch to break something, to see that smug face just once so he could wipe that smirk off it, was gnawing at him.

Maybe this time I’ll finally get rid of him for good, he thought, cracking his knuckles.

Without another moment of hesitation, he stepped forward and raised a fist, pounding on the door with enough force to make it rattle in its frame.

“Oi! Flea!” His voice was low, sharp. “I know you’re in there. Open up before I kick this door down and kill you!”

The door remained closed, but a faint shuffle could be heard from inside. That made Shizuo frown and imagine the slim figure of Izaya in front of the door, looking up at him with a grin.