[FIN] Notice me, Senpai

[insidiousEnigma]

The house had been eerily quiet the past few weeks. Pokemon and assistant a like moved quietly though the house, trying to blend into the background to avoid the purple-haired man skulking through the rooms. Andre would deny his odd mood, but it was plain to see that there was something off about him.

...Well, more off than usual.

"Stab yourself, Louis." Andre all but whined from his place sprawled over the living room couch. Louis paused mid-step, tray of tea and various treats balanced professionally on a raised hand. The blond-haired man gave a soft sigh before continuing over toward his employer, "If I were to stab myself as requested, I would hardly be any help to you." He said sensibly, slowly lowering the tray onto the coffee table before carefully setting out the china. Andre gave a long suffering sigh, like Louis had just stepped on his favourite toy.

"Why don't we invite Zacharie over?" The taller man suggested as he diligently measured out four spoonfuls of sugar into Andre's cup. With what looked like the effort one would put into lifting a heavy box, the information broker dragged himself into a sitting position and accepted his cup of tea with a huff. "He was over last night...and he said he has work to get done over the next few days." While he was proud that Zacharie was working hard, he hated that his little brother seemed to have less and less free time to spend with him.

"Ah...I see." Louis nudged a croissant towards the sulking man, but it was pointedly ignored in favour of the tea. "We could always-"
A shrill ringing from his trouser pocket cut him off.
"...Please excuse me." Louis stood gracefully as Andre waved a hand absently, but dismissively. With that, the blond turned on his heel and stepped into the hallway.

"Hello."  

[Tymiko]

"Uh...Isn't this the number of Andre Dubois?" the voice on the other end of the line asked. It sounded uncertain. "I might have understood if this was Vincent, but you don't sound like Vincent." Something of a sneer crept into the voice. "Did he get fired and replaced?"

Izaya lounged under a tree in a park in Camphoreon, his coat pulled tight around him to ward against the chilly air while he spoke into his phone. His legs lay out in front of him, one perched lightly atop the other. Crimson eyes stared unseeingly at the toes of his shoes as he concentrated on the conversation he was having through his cell.  

[insidiousEnigma]

Louis muted his phone.
Heaved a silent sigh.
He then unmuted his phone.

He wondered about the people here in Kodo while he waited patiently for whoever was on the other end of the line to finish talking. Didn't any of them know proper phone etiquette? "I am Monsieur Dubois' personal assistant, Louis." He said dutifully, absently smoothing the crisp lines of his dress shirt. "All of his calls go through me unless you happen to have his personal number."

This was obviously someone who knew his employer, clients were never so casual.

"Is there something I can help you with?" He prompted as he peeked back into the living room to spot Andre methodically picking a muffin apart. "Take a message, perhaps?"  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

"Eh? Personal assistant?" Izaya repeated with a soft chuckle. "For what? Murder?" There was a laugh. "Ah, he's in the same line of business that I was, isn't he? Probably taken a lot of my clients while I've been busy elsewhere, too." The man leaned his head back against the trunk of the tree he rested under and closed his eyes, smiling nonchalantly.

"Well, Louis-san, your employer and I go way back to our high school days. I've been feeling a bit nostalgic as of late and thought I'd give him a call. I'm sure he wouldn't mind hearing from an old kohai of his - especially one who keeps in such close touch with his beloved little brother. But since I'm fairly certain he's right there next to you, why don't you go ahead and ask him youself?"  

[insidiousEnigma]

Louis resisted the urge to pull the phone away from his ear to check the number. Those things could be heard and he wouldn't do something so telling, instead his eyes narrowed as he stared down the hallway towards the front door. If this man was fishing for some sort of reaction, he would get none from Louis. "I see." He said simply.

He really did not want whoever this was around Andre. He recognized that tone, knew it personally, and nothing good could come from it.

"Louis?" Andre's voice drifted from the next room and Louis almost, almost, cursed under his breath. He stuffed his feelings on the matter down deep and returned to the living room. The purple-haired man watched him curiously from over the back of the couch, hair a tangled mess, a shirt rumpled from laying around all day. In a way, the information broker looked...soft. All of his harsh, perfect lines molded into something approachable. "Your 'kohai' is on the phone for you, Sir."

And just like that, the softness was gone.
Pale, hazy eyes sharpened considerably and shoulders stiffened and squared as the man became alert.

"He claims to be nostalgic and mentioned knowing the young Master." Louis watched as Andre visibly bristled, though his hand shot out to accept the phone. The blond handed it over with only the smallest amount of reluctance.

"Hello, Izaya~" Andre cooed into the phone as he settled back against the couch.  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

"Konnichiwa, Andre-senpai," Izaya chuckled softly. "I'm honored you decided to take the time to talk to me. Since my partner ran off, I've been in dire need of some company. Would you like to meet up today, maybe? We could catch a movie. Or go shopping or chat over dinner. What do you say?"

He opened his eyes and checked the time on his pokedex. "Unless you have plans with your bodyguard or new personal assistant or whatever you have, now. I know your precious Zachie-chan is busy."  

[insidiousEnigma]

Andre went back to picking at the pastries in front of him, idly pulling blueberries free from their doughy prison before popping them into his mouth. "Aw, poor you." He murmured around his finger as he licked it clean. The offer almost made him laugh.

Almost.

"Hmn, I'm not much in the mood to go out." He said thoughtfully as he inspected his nails to make sure no pastry was left behind. "But for the sake of catching up with an old classmate..." He said slowly as he debated his options. While it was true that he didn't feel like leaving the house at that particular moment, Izaya was sure to give him some sort of entertainment. He just wasn't sure if he wanted the dark-haired man knowing where he lived. "...Why don't you come visit me at my home?" He said after a brief pause. "I can send Louis to pick you up."  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

"Ooh, Andre-senpai is inviting me over? Are we going to have a sleepover?" the other info broker asked, giggling like an excitable school girl. "How nice~ That would give us time to catch up and gossip and talk about cute boys," he teased. "I'd be delighted~!"

Izaya brought his knees up to his chest and pushed off the tree trunk to help him stand with a small grunt. "Sending over your personal assistant?" He laughed. "I suppose as long as he isn't actually a Pokemon you trained to answer your phone or he doesn't intend to destroy me before we reach your house, then that should be fine. Because, Senpai, you know you can be honest with me," he added with a grin. "If you don't want me there, you can just say so. No need to put on airs when I know exactly the kind of person you are."  

[insidiousEnigma]

Receiving the answer he more or less expected, Andre stood gracefully from the couch. Louis was already starting to clear away the dishes and crumbs so he started towards the stairs to the second floor. "And won't that be enjoyable?" He asked rhetorically as he ascended the stairs to get ready. He was glad that he kept the house presentable because cleaning for Izaya Orihara to come visit was not something that he felt like doing. "I can assure you that Louis is human and that he has no intention on 'destroying you'." His tone was amused as he pushed the door to his bedroom open before sweeping into the room. "If I didn't want you here I wouldn't have extended the invitation. If you know what kind of person I am then you know I rarely do things I don't want to." He winced slightly as his bare feet came into contact with the cold tiles in the master bathroom. "Send your location to this number and Louis will be around to pick you up shortly. See you soon~" Without waiting for a reply, he hung up.

"I don't think it's wise to bring him here." Andre looked to the doorway where Louis was standing with his hands clasped behind his back. "Not the smartest idea, no." The purple-haired man agreed as he turned the shower on and began to undress. "But it will certainly be interesting and at this particular moment, I've got nothing to hide." He grinned as he tossed his sleep shirt into the hamper. Louis stepped into the room to accept his phone back, tucking it into his pocket before stepping back to the doorway. "Just take your time coming back, you know how I hate to rush my showers."

The blond nodded before moving to do as told, a sense of foreboding in the pit of his stomach.  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

"Oh? Would you bet on that?" Izaya asked, not bothering to suppress the amusement in his tone in response to the assurance that Louis had no intention of destroying him. "He could always tell you it was an accident that I died before we reached your place. Or...maybe you're planning to kill me there and he'd just want to save you the trouble of dirtying your delicate, aristocratic hands."

Laughing aloud at Andre's words regarding rarely doing things he didn't want to, Izaya shrugged. It was obviously a gesture that the other man couldn't see, but he didn't seem to care. "That's true. I guess I can only hope you'll take care of me. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu - please be gentle with me."

As Andre hung up rather abruptly, Izaya wasn't sure the purple-haired man heard him, but he didn't mind. He was fairly familiar with this sort of procedure to protect information; it was similar to how the yakuza he used to work for would pick him up for a car ride and then drop him off at the same location after they'd talked. Since both he and Andre worked as information brokers, it made sense they would both be cautious, particularly around each other.

Maybe Izaya was tired of keeping his guard up, though, because he messaged his location to Andre's number without a second thought. Upon closing the phone and putting it away, his forced smile disappeared and he stood by the street, just like any other man who had grown weary enduring a hazardous life. When Louis showed up, he resumed his concealing smile, but he couldn't manage to exude the jolly vigor he normally did as he slipped into the vehicle.  

[insidiousEnigma]

The car ride back to the house was quiet.
It seemed that the man wasn't feeling nearly as chatty as he was earlier; though Louis didn't expect it to last for long.

He drove them through various, winding roads shielded by tall trees on both sides. If Izaya had been worried about a possible murder, the drive probably wasn't helping as they drove deeper into the cover of the forest. Though soon enough the trees cleared and a Victorian style house sat primly in the center of the small clearing. The blond pulled the car into the garage and cut the engine, giving the dark-haired man a quick look in the rear-view window before gracefully sliding out of the car to open the other man's door.

It only took a few steps to get to the door that lead to the kitchen and once that was open the smell of lavender wafted out to greet them. "Please take off your shoes before entering." Louis instructed, holding the door open for Izaya to walk through.  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

Throwing Louis a wink as the man opened his car door for him, Izaya sauntered out with his hands in his pockets. When he was instructed to take off his shoes, he did so while laughing.

"That's what I typically do upon entering another's home. I guess it's not as common for most Westerners, though, is it?" He looked down at his feet, now bare but for his socks. "The real question is...do I just walk in like this?"  

[insidiousEnigma]

Louis cocked his head ever so slightly at the others question, "I'm sure we're letting in the chill." He prompted, his gaze flickering from Izaya and into the kitchen just beyond the doorway. "You are," Andre's voice carried before his head poked around the corner to give both men a vaguely annoyed look, his hair pulled up into a messy bun at the crown of his head. "Hurry and come in." One again Izaya was prompted to enter and once the man was inside, Louis quietly shut the door behind them.

Andre wore a simple, black, cowl-neck, long-sleeved shirt, fitted maroon jeans stretched over his crossed legs as he perched on the marble counter with a steaming mug cradled between both hands. "Welcome," The corners of his mouth twitched up into a small smile before he blew the steam rising from his cup. "Would you like some tea? Darjeeling from the first flush with hints of lavender, it's very good."  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

"A simple 'yes' would have sufficed," Izaya murmured in his sing-song tone with a hint of resentment as he was ushered in. "As old-fashioned and traditional as this place suggests, I wasn't sure if you had guest slippers or something that you wanted me to wear. I was only trying to be polite."

Returning Andre's mouth-twitch of a smile with a thin-lipped, obligatory one of his own, Izaya walked toward the man with his arms open wide. "Senpai! I'm so excited to be invited over to Andre-senpai's place at last! Or one of them, in any case," he added with a small, mirthless chuckle. "That tea smells wonderful. I'd love some; thank you." He didn't drop his arms as he approached Andre's personal space, clearly expecting a hug.  

[insidiousEnigma]

For a moment Andre wasn't sure what it was Izaya was doing. He eyed the spread arms and the thin smile with mild confusion before it dawned on him. "Ah," He set his cup down and reached out to tug his old classmate between his lowered legs and into an embrace. "I'm glad you called." He hummed lightly, patting Izaya's back and nuzzling his cheek against the top of the others head. "It's been a while since we last spoke." With one last pat, he hopped off the counter and moved around the other. "Do you take sugar with your tea? Honey, milk?" He asked curiously over his shoulder as he pulled a white mug with delicate, gold, filigree.