Author's Note: Hello, friends! To those of you reading this for the first time: welcome! To those reading for a second, third, or (dare I say) fourth time: welcome back! This story has been a very important coping mechanism for me, and I love writing it and reading your guys's comments. Unfortunately for me, I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; I tend to reread chapters over and over again, editing and un-editing and then re-editing whenever something looks off to me - which is often. This takes a lot of time away from writing new chapters, because when you're re-reading your own fanfiction in order to "freshen your memory" every time you want to write a new chapter, it can get a little overwhelming. In any case, I will be going over my fanfiction one last time to try and correct any mistakes I might have missed. After that, if there's a typo or other kind of error, I won't know unless you guys mention it in a comment. Anyway…. Enjoy!

"Because this is what I believe - that second chances are stronger than secrets. You can let secrets go. But a second chance? You don't let that pass you by."

― Daisy Whitney, When You Were Here

Shizuo and Izaya's fights are nothing new. Shinra's been experiencing them for approximately a decade; the two clashed from the start, their first meeting ending with his stunned yet amused teenage self watching the laughing brunette lead the angry blonde right into oncoming traffic. If he had 500 yen for every time he's had to dodge a flying object, he'd have enough money to take his darling Celty on an extravagant dream getaway - maybe to some remote tropical paradise (it would give him a chance to see her in a swimsuit). Luckily for him, the lovestruck doctor is able to to pull himself out of his island fantasy just in time to notice the coffee table being hurled in his general direction. He shuts his eyes, bracing himself for impact...

This is it. This is how I die. Goodbye, Celty... I only wish I could have embraced you one last time.

He's barely finished the thought when shadowy tendrils wrap around his body and yank him back to safety, the coffee table continuing its path right towards a smiling Izaya - who easily dances out of the way (with all the grace and smugness of a haughty housecat), much to Shizuo's displeasure.

"Celtyyyyyyyy! You saved me!" Shinra announces, his eyes shining. "As my reward, how about I give you a biiiiiiig hu-" He's pushed away before he can even get close, the dullahan's PDA screen shoved into his face.

[How did this happen?!]

"Ah! Well, you see, it was like this-"

There's a loud crash when the coffee table finds his living room wall, and he can't help but outwardly cringe. "That's going to be expensive to fix..."

If Celty could have sighed, she would have. [I'll try to put a stop to this before they cause any more damage. You owe me an explanation.]

"Of course, of course!" He smiles, watching as she slips the PDA back into her sleeve and heads towards the chaos. There isn't really much to explain, honestly; Shizuo had come over to get an injury taken care of, and then Izaya had shown up and refused to come back later when there wasn't a hot-head with super-strength sitting on his couch. It had devolved into violence pretty much immediately (to no one's surprise).

Why does Orihara-kun always have to provoke him? Couldn't he at least have waited until they were outside? I don't have enough money to pay for this much property damage! Maybe I should make Orihara-kun cover it, it is partially his fault, after all...

Another large crash startles Shinra out of his thoughts, and he quickly snaps his attention back to his friends and the love of his life. What he sees causes his blood to run cold.

"Celty?"

The Dullahan is on the ground, blanketed in a good chunk of the ceiling. The dining room table lies in pieces around her, but Shinra is less concerned about that then he is about the debris his lover is currently trapped under; he rushes over and starts to dig her out, motioning for Shizuo to come help him.

"Celty, are you okay?! Celty!"

She waves her hand at him as if in agreement, inky black shadows spilling from her neck as the magical energy swells and pushes at the rubble on top of her. It doesn't take long for her to free herself and grope around for her PDA. [I'm fine! I'm not hurt at all.]

Shinra doesn't realize he's holding his breath until he lets it out, relieved and feeling a little silly for even worrying. This is his Celty, after all... she's not exactly fragile.

But I've had enough.

He catches Izaya's eyes and points to the door, a smile forced onto his face. "Out." He can deal with the property damage, the shouting, and the constant fear for his life. But getting Celty caught in the middle of it? That's where he draws the line. "Now."