A/N: I'm terrible at fluff.

"Are you sure I look alright?"

It was at least the sixth time Shizu-chan had asked. Sighing as dramatically as I could, I threw him a quick glance over my shoulder, making a dramatic sweep of my eyes to check him out, once again. Not that I minded, or anything, I could probably look at him all day. "Yes Shizu-chan, you look incredibly handsome, and I might have to cut a few girls to keep them off of you."

Paranoid. He was honestly paranoid about everything. He looked fine, absolutely stunning if I had to go ahead and be honest. We had managed – somehow – to tame that unruly hair of his, brushing it straight and parting it sensibly, instead of allowing random strands to hang here and there. It was still a little bit messy, just to keep his bad boy look, but it no longer looked like some flock of birds landed and nested atop his head. He was out of that stupid iconic bartending outfit, a silk, dark blue dress shirt tucked into casual black jeans, fitting his figure rather nicely. This was a dress up 'party' and of course I wouldn't pass the chance up to get Shizu-chan to try out new things. And as it turns out, the blonde almost looked better in black then I did.

"You're exaggerating." He said, huffing and pulling idly at the black tie that was hanging from around his neck. He was more of a bow kind of guy, but I personally liked the tie a lot better. "I look a little too flashy, don't you think?"

I scoffed, dragging him down the side walk, fingers tightly laced through his. We were almost there. Soon, and then I can shove some food into that mouth and get him to relax a little bit. "No, idiot, you're just not used to wearing colour, is all." I grinned wickedly, before stopping in front of a larger house. We were in the rich and 'respectable' neighborhood, all of the houses being bigger and fancier than anything in Ikebukuro. This one in particular was white, with the generic 'good family' white picket fence, and the huge red door. The lawn was nice and mowed, and there was an assortment of fully bloomed and colourful flowers lining the front wall.

I shivered unpleasantly at the sight. "Well, we're here. Let's go." Slapping my mask back onto my face, I all but dragged Shizuo behind me. He was grumbling, and still pulling awkwardly at the tie. He had to be a sight to see, especially in this neighborhood. If I remembered correctly, everyone was always sticking their noses into everyone else' business.

"I see why we needed to dress up," Shizuo commented, standing beside me when I stopped in front of the porch. He could probably feel my heart rate skyrocket from my hands, fingers tightening painfully around his palm. "You sure you want to do this?"

"It's fine Shizu-chan."

He didn't look convinced. "Okay, but it's going to be a late night, and your parents, and the family, we don't have to go, isn't it weird that I'm coming? We can leave now, and just get Simon to give us take out, and you don't have to stress yourself – are you stressed? Shinra said you shouldn't stress until..."

"Shizu-chan," I sighed, wiping my free and sweaty hand off on my black jeans. "Yeah, but it's fine. I said I'd come, so -"

"Oh, Izaya, honey!" I turned around, all smiles as my mother came rushing around from the back yard, "You made it, I'm so happy." She immediately rushed forward, quickly giving me a gentle hug.

"I said I was coming, did I not?" I asked, letting go of Shizu-chan's hand to gently hug her back. "I am typically a man of my word."

Yes, and when I say that I, Izaya Orihara, will attend a family get together with me plus one, I will show up with me plus one. And today just happened to finally be that day in which I kept that promise.

"Oh I know, but you know," She stepped back, giving me a quick once over and nodding in approval, "it's a family get together, after all. You're looking better than when I saw you a couple months ago, there's more colour in your cheeks!" Reaching up, she pinched at my cheek, wiggling my head gently. I gave her a leveled glare seeing how I had no height advantage. "But you're too damn skinny, Gods, have you been eating? And oh!" She squeaked, suddenly letting me go and rushing over to Shizuo, who was standing beside me like a lost puppy. "Is he your date?"

I cleared by throat, placing a hand on my hip. "You did say to come with a significant other, did you not?" I asked, staring at the way my mother was smoothing out Shizuo's silk shirt.

"Uhh... nice to meet you again." Shizuo said rather dumbly, probably not remembering her name.

"Oh, dearie, you're quite handsome after all!" She reached up, fixing Shizuo's tie, and he looked blatantly uncomfortable. "I honestly don't understand how you kind of guys end up so attractive."

You kind of guys? Eyebrow twitching, I decided to put an end to this little charade. "Mother, are you going to walk us to the back, or should we just barge in without you?"

Seemingly done making a fuss, my mother turned back to me with a soft smile. "Are you here to stir up some trouble?"

I tried to smile innocently, but of course, I couldn't help the slight glint in my eyes. "I'm sure behaving myself would cause a bigger uproar than not." I was the black sheep of the family after all. The entire family knew that my presence meant trouble, so behaving myself would surely keep them all on their toes, all anxious and nervous.

It almost sounded more fun then teasing.

"So you're hear to cause some trouble." My mother said, almost approvingly. She smoothed out Shizuo's shirt once more before standing back and glancing at us as a pair. "Even if you don't want to cause trouble, just walking in this this handsome stud will surely draw you some attention." She was smiling wickedly, and my face almost flushed in embarrassment. "You know how your father and his side of the family are."

Shizuo glanced over to me, watching carefully as my eyes closed to slits, that evil smile sitting on my face that promised boatloads of misfortune and trouble. He had come to know the look, and he had come to understand that he needed to remind me of what happened over the past couple of months.

"Izaya,"

"Eh, right. They're super religious." I said casually, shrugging and shoving my hands into the pockets of my jeans, demeanor completely changing. "I promise not to stir up too much trouble."

My mother shook her head, "No, I know you. Even when you try to behave, you cause trouble. Your father is going to have a stroke by the end of today, especially if you two keep holding hands – and please, keep holding hands!" She said with a wink, laughing before ushering us closer to the back gate, where we could clearly hear the shrill voices of older people and younger children. The Orihara family was huge, after all.

"I'm betting on Granny." I said, waving Shizu-chan closer and then linking our fingers together. "She's so adamant about me being the spawn of Satan, aha!" I laughed, Shizuo cracking a smile at the sort of inside joke. It had been almost a month since I had woken up, saved from my misery, and my recovery - especially my mental recovery - was going more smoothly then anyone had anticipated. The fears as I had known them were also gone too. Shinra had been baffled, Namie impressed, and I honestly hadn't felt so good in a very long time.

My mother stopped before the gate, turning to me. "Oh?" She pulled out her wallet, suddenly whipping out two-thousand yen like it was nothing. "I'm betting on your father." She handed Shizuo the bills, and he took them warily, almost confused, glancing over to me just in time to see me shoving bills his way too.

"I'm betting on Granny." I casually unbuttoned the top three buttons of my red dress shirt, exposing well defined collar bones and a little more chest then what Granny would deem appropriate. I was practically cheating. I grinned, and he stared at me in disbelief, but pocketed the cash none the less, eyes flicking back to my exposed skin for only a brief second. My mom snickered, shaking her head at my action. "Unless she's not here, and you set me up to lose?"

"Oh, she's here all right." Mom said, face going rigid and distant as she thought about her least favorite mother-in-law. "Oh, and so are your sisters!"

As if on cue – she probably mentioned it because the twins were rushing out of the gate – two girls suddenly barreled into me, almost knocking me over in the process.

"Iza-nii!"

Air left my lungs as the tackled me, Shizuo's grip on my hand the only thing keeping me from falling, and Mairu wrapped her arms around my mid-section, shoving her face into my shirt. "You're alive! We thought you died!"

"Okay!" Kururi joined in, squishing Mairu between us, "Iza-nii!"

"What do you mean you thought I died?" I asked. I let go of Shizuo's hand and pried the two girls off of me. "Hello. How much trouble have you guys already caused?"

"Because you're betting with mom, right!? And of course we've already started lots of trouble, we always say some things and plant some traps so you can take all the blame, and not us!" Mairu yelled, grabbing my hand and turning to mom. "He's responsible, okay? Especially if our snotty cousin Misa accidentally finds her skirt of fire after using the bathroom!"

"What?" That actually sounded like something I would do.

"You're betting right? I'm betting that Iza-nii will win!" Mairu yelled, detaching herself long enough to pull out some bills and shove it in Shizuo's direction. "I bet we'll have to call an ambulance again, because Izay-nii is very good at increasing blood pressure."

"No." Kururi said simply, deciding to bet on our mother.

"Again?" Shizuo asked, glancing at me in horror. He suddenly looked to the yard like I was about to take him on tour of Hell itself.

I rolled my eyes. My immediate family – minus my father – were an absolute train wreck.

Shizuo shoved their money into his opposite pocket, glancing at me with the hint of a smile. Yes Shizu-chan, we normally place bets on what kind of destruction is going to unfold.

Mother scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Girls, Izaya, behave yourselves, and oh." Mom grinned, turning back to me. "Your father's already stressing about Kururui's new boyfriend. I think I'm going to win." She moved into the yard, and we followed. Kururi ran to Shizuo, giving him a quick hug before returning to Mairu and attaching herself to her arm. Shizuo grabbed onto my free hand, Mairu attached to my left. We made our way into the backyard.

There were a couple of stares, but we didn't really stop the party or anything. The family regarded me as 'background noise' and therefore I was mostly ignored. There were probably close to thirty people mingling in the huge yard. Shizuo's entire apartment complex could fit in here. I giggled at the thought, and his hand tightened on mine. He didn't like so many unfamiliar people, after all. And even though I had reassure him that it would be okay, he still didn't want to have my entire family view him as a monster. That had been his main worry upon coming here. But so far, everyone seemed to mind their own business. There were a few nods in acknowledgment to my arrival, but generally everything continued on as it had been.

Until Mairu cleared her throat and opened her loud mouth mouth.

"So are you two fucking?" She glanced over to Shizuo, who has now squeezing my hand painfully tight.

Several heads, Dad's included, turned my way and I smiled in Mairu's general direction. "No." I said simply before leading her over to the nearest jumble of chairs. I all but shook her and Kururi off, letting them fall into a couple of expensive lawn chairs. "We are not fucking. Just like you and Kururi are not fucking." I said simply, hairs rising on the back of my neck because I knew people were watching and listening. I wasn't sure if I liked this attention or not.

"Ohhhh," Mairu said dramatically, just as a boy sat down beside Kururi, "So you guys are fucking, we're just not telling anyone because it's ethically wrong?"

The boy beside Kururi – her new boyfriend, I presumed – suddenly blushed a deep crimson red. He looked away from us like he had not just heard what he thought he had heard.

I glanced over to Shizuo to see that his face too, was stained crimson. I glared back at Mairu. She was wearing a shit-eating grin and I wanted nothing more than to just punch her. "You seem to be mistaken. There's nothing ethically wrong with two guys fucking, there's something ethically wrong with two sisters, even if you're including a boyfriend." I gestured towards the blue haired boy, his face deepening in colour at my suggestion of a threesome. "And no, just because I am explaining this this way, that does not mean that Shizu-chan and I have an intimate relationship like that." I sighed. My father was getting up and I could see him approaching out of the corner of my eye. Great.

"Mairu," Kururi said in exasperation, grabbing onto the mystery boy's hand. Looks like my boyfriend theory was correct.

"Ohhhh," Mairu said again, grabbing Kururi's other hand, "It must be a strength thing, right? See, I ran into Erika-chan the other day, and she was talking about doms and subs..."

"Izaya." I turned towards my father, my mind suddenly spinning. Thank Valhalla someone interrupted Mairu. I ruined them, and yet I can't deal with those two. Sighing, I opened my mouth to greet my father, but he interrupted me first, "It's... good to see you."

Oh, so we were playing this game with the generic family lines? "It's good to see you too," I said, just as impassively. His eyes flickered over Shizuo, before he nodded politely. "You must be Heiwajima-san. My wife has mentioned a lot about you."

Coming up beside me, Shizuo nodded hesitantly. He was still gripping my hand tight enough to break it, and I'm sure that fact didn't go unnoticed by my father. He did not offer to shake his hand. "Good to meet you, Orihara-san."

At least Shizuo still knows his manners.

"Come get something to eat," my father tried to smile, but it didn't look right on his face. We had come right a supper time simply to miss mingling with people who didn't have anyone to talk to. Smiling, we both followed him over to the barbecue area, the table littered with several dishes. Most of them were traditionally Japanese, with several simple snack bowls like chips and crackers. It was on the way to the table that I noticed my victim of the night.

Granny was watching me like a hawk from her perch across the yard. My mother was trying to make pleasant conversation – as she normally did – but Granny wasn't having any of it. Instead, her beady eyes met mine for a quick moment, and then I snickered, clinging onto Shizu-chans arm like a teen girl just for the show. She'd get the hint. Gay relationships weren't on her list of acceptable behaviors. They were cast on the list, right beside 'incest'.

Oh well. She

"What's up?" Shizuo asked, my father getting side tracked, and stopping to talk to one of my rich uncles. "You've got that plotting look."

"I've spotted Granny." I said, chuckling lightly. "Let's get some food though, I'm starving."

"Is your whole family rich?" I let go of him and handed him a glass bowl. My family was too prestigious to even use disposable plates. "They all smell rich. They all stink like they've got sticks up their asses."

I laughed, heading straight for the plate of Ootoro. My one aunt made Ootoro to die for. "Yeah, they're mostly all rich." I loaded my plate, before picking out some other things to snack on too. Shizuo, forgetting his manners, over loaded his plate before grabbing some chop sticks. I laughed, stealing his, leaving him to grab another pair. "Awwh, do all the Orihara's stink the same? This place must be terrible for a dog like yourself.

"Shut up. You gonna eat all that?" He asked, pointing to my equally full bowl. "You better eat all that. And you stink different." He clarified, following me back to the chairs where my sisters were residing.

I wasn't done with Mairu yet.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah you smell like a scheming little louse. They all smell like..." He crinkled his nose just as we got back, Mairu downing a drink – it smelled alcoholic, who gave that to her – and Kururi had a small plate of food sitting in her lap. She was quietly laughing at her boyfriend, who had a piece of rice stuck to his nose. "Pigs."

I spluttered, sitting down in a chair, glancing over to him. He got comfortable in the lawn chair right next to me, elbows hitting only for a moment. "My family smells like pigs?"

"Mm," he said, earning a curious look from Mairu.

"So the entire family came from a barn. That would explain a lot," I laughed.

"Eh, who came from a barn?" Mairu asked loudly, eyeing my plate of food and licking her lips. "Iza-nii, I want your shrimp."

"Ehh? Don't touch that." I smacked her hand with my chopstick.

"The twins are more like barn cats." Shizu-chan went on, shoving food into his mouth. The tension in his shoulders seemed to be easing. Good. He was getting more comfortable.

"Heh? We're like barn cats?" Mairu asked, shifting her chair a bit closer and stealing the shrimp that had been hanging over the edge of my bowl. "We are kind of like barn cats. We don't exactly fit in with all the cattle and pigs and stuff, but we knock stuff over and catch all the little mice and bugs!"

"You're nothing like a barn cat. Barn cats aren't feral." I said, glancing to my rice before looking over and staring intently at Kururi's boyfriend. It took him a couple of seconds, but he finally shuddered under the intensity of my gaze, and looked my way. I smiled pleasantly, ignoring the way Shizuo was nervously shoving food into his mouth. Poor guy must feel so out of place. "So you're the boyfriend. It's nice to meet you. I'm Izaya Orihara." Smiling, I carefully took a bite from the bowl. I glanced at it almost irritably, shifting uncomfortably and considering just setting it down and ignoring it. You better stay down. Shinra had instructed me not to eat too fast, and after his first meal plan failed miserably – no thanks to the fact that I can't really keep anything in my stomach – he had suggested I try and continuously graze throughout the day. He said something about the demon disrupting something.

He has no idea how much that little shit has disrupted everything.

"Aoba Kuronuma." He said simply, before smiling. "So you're the infamous older brother I keep hearing about?" He said. The kid sounded charismatic enough, but his posture and speech had gang leader written all over it. Or maybe I had dealt with enough teenaged leaders to distinguish one from a lowly gang member.

"Hopefully good things." I said with a grin, eyes flickering around the yard, spotting Granny once again with her unwavering leer.

"Some pretty crazy things, actually." He said, taking a sip of water.

"Ooo~ how crazy?"

"Have you guys kissed!?" Mairu yelled, once again startling nearby people.

I sent her a smug look before turning to Shizuo. "Shizu-chan?" He glanced up, swallowing quickly, and I grabbed him by that silky tie and pulled him close, lips crashing into his. Mairu practically squeaked - when did she turn into such a pervert? - and I heard someone clear their throat nearby.

"Yes?" I grinned, taking another careful bite before stealing a look at Shizu-chan. He was bright red, even the tips of his ears, and he suddenly shoved more food into his mouth.

Mairu was snickering like an eight year-old looking at dirty magazines. "I think I need to start a business for this kind of stuff."

I choked on my mouthful, eyes watering.

My mother suddenly stood up on a table, and tapped a spoon against a glass. "I would like to make a toast!" She yelled. Ah, it's the boring part. Typical family matters and politics followed for more than an hour. Apparently a cousin of mine was getting married to some rich American. There was a new baby on it's way. Kururi finally got a boyfriend. More generic not so important important news. No mention of me.

Good. By the time all of the family matters were done, my mother was drunk and tripping over to where me and Shizuo were standing. It was later, the sky was darkening, and while me and Shizu-chan had time to talk and comment on all the lousy humans in my family, I wasn't particularly keen on staying for too long. I came, I saw, my mother was happy, I was ready to go. After I gave Granny a heart attack, that was.

We were collecting plates – most of the family off dancing, we really didn't want any part of that – when my mother strode up and stopped, pointing at me. "Granny hasn't had a heart attack yet." She said, before giggling.

I sighed dramatically. "Mom, go inside."

"Take me!" She yelled, flaying her arms in the air, and I quickly glanced around to see if anyone was nearby to drag her back in. Quickly coming to a decision, I sighed, glancing over to Shizu-chan. "Can you grab those plates? Mom, come here." I sighed, reaching forward and dragging her closer to me by her forearm. I threw her arm around my neck and began to drag her towards the house. "Why do you always drink so much at the events?"

"Because it's fun. And your father's mom gets mad. I don't like her." Geez. She sounded like me and Shizu-chan in high school. Sighing I pushed open the door and let her trip in.

"Just go lie down for a bit until you head clears." I instructed, watching as my mother headed towards the spare bedroom. It was was the closest room, so I had no comment.

I sighed before making my way to the living room. I dropped onto the couch, leaning my head back and glancing up at the ceiling. This party, get together, whatever, hadn't been as exciting as I had hoped it would be. And to make matters worse, I was tired again, and my stomach was churning from how much food I had eaten.

While I was recovering mentally at an alarming rate, I wasn't recovering quite as fast physically. There were still a few hoops and jumps that I couldn't quite get over, and aside from the second wound scarring my abdomen, they were making my day to day actions a little bit difficult. I was really lucky, though. I should have died, and according to Shinra, if I'm not careful, I might quickly drop back into that state. I just had to keep relaxing, and continue eating, and I should be fine.

Should be. Even with the demon gone, I still feel haunted and scared to be alone. It was only when I slept or stopped for too long, that the terror came back to me. Shinra had said it was normal. That it would go away. Eventually.

Sighing in exasperation, I almost didn't notice Shizuo as he dropped down beside me. "Hey," he said quietly.

I lifted my head to glance at him tiredly. "Hey."

"I just put the dishes in the sink." He leaned forward, lightly tapping his forehead against mine and grabbing onto my hand. "You're not looking too good."

I chuckled, resting against him and closing my eyes. "I'm not feeling too good either." I sat back up, rubbing at my forehead. "Just stay here, I'll be right back." I got up, only letting go of his hand when I couldn't stretch it any further. Carefully, I made my way to the bathroom of the second floor, locking the door behind me and glancing into the mirror. I was starting to look like a zombie again, my face paling like every other time I got sick. Getting sick was a bad sign. It hindered my recovery, and that was not what I needed.

I quickly washed my face, hoping that some cool water could somehow settle my stomach. It didn't help, actually made everything worse, and I was hurling into the toilet only a minute later. Perfectly good Ootoro was wasted, flushing down the drain. Gasping to catch my breath, I rinsed out my mouth and then decided that now was probably a good time to go home.

I exited the bathroom, stepping out and stopping. Aoba was standing in the hallway looking disturbed, and the fact that he was intently staring at me suggested that I had been the one to disturb him.

I didn't have time for this. I flashed him a smile before heading back down stairs. Shizu-chan was right where I left him, now entertaining two teenaged girls.

"There he is! Iza-nii, Shizuo-san won't tell us what happened!" Mairu yelled. I instantly shushed her, glancing over to the spare bedroom. "We heard someone got you on the streets!" She yelled, again, and I sighed, dropping onto the couch beside Shizuo. I instantly leaned against him. He slung an arm around my shoulders, rubbing my arm comfortingly. "And how did you end up dating Shizuo-san!? Please tell us, please tell us, pleeeeease?"

"Mairu, quiet down, please." My mother was in the kitchen, taking care of the dishes. She looked sober from where I was squinting, but I knew otherwise. She was strange like that. She used to drink before she cleaned when we were all younger. "I have a headache."

"Sorry," Mairu muttered, rolling her eyes. "but we want to know, what happened? What happened?" I groaned, just as Aoba decided to join the party. "Did you get in a gang fight? We heard you were in a fight! We heard you cut open a bunch of guys and skewered them like fish!"

Aoba dropped down on the couch, suddenly whipping out a bunch of yen from his pocket. He was wearing a smug look on his face, eyes glancing over to Mairu while he rubbed the yen together, before handing the wad to kururi. Mairu suddenly gaped, turning to look at me in horror. I narrowed my eyes. What else did they bet on!?

"Iza-nii!" Mairu yelled dangerously, she suddenly looked mad, getting up and storming over to me. My mother groaned in the kitchen, shouting something about keeping it down. Mairu marched up in front of me and suddenly slapped me. Shizuo jumped just as I did, not sure whether he should intervene or just let us talk it out. "I'm telling mom!"

I blinked at her, confused. "Telling mom what?"

"Moom!" Mairu jumped up, and I had that gut feeling that I needed to follow her. She rushed into the kitchen, me following a few steps behind. Our mother turned to look at us warily. "Mooom, Iza-nii has an eating disorder!"

I almost choked on my own spit. That was what they had bet one!? "What? I do not, Mairu." I stormed into the kitchen, grabbing her by her forearm, hell bent on dragging her out to go and clear up this misunderstanding.

My mother was faster though, grabbing onto my own forearm, squeezing hard enough so that I let go of my sister. "What?"

"You guys can't just win bets off of assumptions." I yelled, glancing up and seeing that she too looked angry. "Mom, I'm fine." I said, gently trying to pull my arm back. "Let me go, they have no proof."

Kururi suddenly appeared in the doorway. "Bathroom," She said to Mairu, and Mairu gaped again.

"He was throwing up in the bathroom!"

I rolled my eyes, sighing heavily. "Because I was sick, genius. Let me..."

"Girls..." My mother's gaze darkened, "out."

I wasn't getting out of this one. Sighing nervously, I watched the girls go, Mairu looking more smug then I thought she would. I just want to go home, and cuddle up to Shizu-chan, and just sleep.

"Explain." She said, letting me go to cross her arms over her chest. She had a right to be suspicious, especially after what happened the last time I had seen her. And according to Shinra, the removal of the little demon shit had lost me over thirty pounds.

That was what made the situation look and feel bad.

"It's... alright." I said, not quite sure how to explain this properly. I crossed my arms over my stomach protectively.

"It doesn't sound alright." My mother said sternly. "If anything, it looks really bad."

I shrugged. "It's not what Mairu said, okay? Shinra fixed the problem from when you had to come visit, and I'm just recovering. It happens once in a while, I get sick. It's fine." I said vaguely, knowing that she wouldn't let me go unless I gave her something to work with.

She clicked her tongue before turning back to the sink. "You know. You looked better earlier, but now you look worse. If you're recovering, why did you come all the way down here? You could have told me over the phone, it would have been fine. Dry and put this away," she handed out a plate, and I sighed, stepping forward and taking it. She wasn't done talking yet, obviously.

I quickly wiped it, and put the plate into the cupboard. "I'm fine. It's fine. I'm going stir crazy, I can't stay inside for so long, you know that. And Shizu-chan's apartment is so small. So of course I'd come just to get out. It's fine."

She suddenly chuckled, handing me another plate. "Oh, you're living with him?"

"Ah, about that," I put the plate away, staring at it, "my apartment got ransacked, and Shinra made a fuss. So yeah, I'm living with him."

She stopped what she was doing, looking darkly my way. "Ransacked?"

"Ah," I shrugged, "Yeah. It's fine. Shizu-chan is kind of being my body guard."

"And you're eating?" She gave me a once over, eyes still cold. I was smaller then I had ever been, and the lack of weight was terribly obvious. All skin and bones, as Shizuo normally complained. "And you're not doing what you tried to do last time, are you?

"No, I told you that was a mistake, it's not happening again. And yes, I'm eating," I clarified. "I'm just..." I looked away. She could see right through me.

"But there's a problem?"

"It's difficult." I said, happy to see that she went back to washing the plates. She handed me another one, and the motions began to feel comfortable. "Ah, you sound like Shinra and Shizu-chan. Always making a fuss."

"Well someone's got to do it, you won't do it yourself." She said, handing me a pair of chopsticks. "Now spill, what's going on?"

I groaned. "I'm just not gaining weight as fast as Shinra wants me too. Actually. I've stopped gaining entirely. I go there every other day for a check in cause he's so fussy, but... I'm just..." Not able to do it. The words sounded so terrible in my mind. I could only imagine how terrible they would sound coming out of my mouth. This was the last obstacle now. Besides a few minor problems – like how panicky I instantly get when things cover my eyes – that will go away over time, weight wasn't something that should be toyed with. And the fact that I couldn't seem to fix it had me stressing and irritated.

My mother nodded in acknowledgment. "And what did Shinra say?"

"He's still trying out ideas. I'm either losing or maintaining, and I need to gain."

My mom nodded, quickly glancing over to me. I was significantly underweight, and that was bad. Everyone knew, because it was as bad as it looked. She suddenly pat my cheek with her soapy hand, chuckling when I cringed. Bubbles shot up my nose, and I slapped her hand away. "What are you -"

"You need to relax." She said, smiling. "My Izaya can do anything, and if you need to gain weight, then you will figure out how to do it. If not, I will make you do it. So unless you want me to come with you to all of your check ups, you better figure it out."

I scoffed, wiping my face off onto my sleeve. "Thanks mom for the pep talk. I'm taking my leave now." I had to get back to Shizu-chan before Mairu traumatized him.

"Hey," I stopped half way across the kitchen, glancing back. "Knowing you, you probably stress when you're about to eat. Try not to pay attention to it."

"Thanks," I said, trying to wrap my head around the fact that she just knew how instantly irritated and stressed I got when I had to do it. Shaking my head, because no, I was done with that conversation for tonight, I made my way back into the living room. Interrogation over.

And I stopped.

Shizuo looked incredibly uncomfortable on the couch, with Kururi sitting on his left. Aoba was sitting on her left, and Mairu was sitting on Shizuo's lap. Across from them, Granny was sitting on the couch, making a huge fuss out of the little black family cat that was lying on her lap.

I grinned, striding across the room and shooing Mairu onto the couch. She happily moved over, and then her smile brightened when I said, "Aoba, Mairu wins." I dropped beside Shizu-chan, Aoba shrugging in the process.

"Already told them." Shizu-chan clarified, smirking for a moment. He sneakily dropped his warm hand down, covering mine and gripping it. "Don't believe me, but I told them."

I chuckled, before quickly kissing him on the lips.

Granny scoffed, looking at me. She suddenly got up, taking the cat with her and scurrying into the kitchen to bother my mother.

Good.

I leaned my face against Shizuo's shoulder. Mairu was snickering again like a school girl, and I could hear Granny complaining about my 'inappropriate behavior' from the kitchen. "I think we should go." I said, elbowing Shizuo lightly in the ribs. "I'm tired."

"Ohhhh... Don't go! you didn't tell us the story!" Mairu whined. I groaned, shaking my head. "You have to tell us, you have to tell us. Sleep over with us! We're staying and you can't leave, we won't let you!"

"Sleep over!" Kururi joined in, and I saw a line of worry appear on Aoba's face. Don't worry, these girls are all yours. I want nothing of them.

"No." I groaned, sitting up. "No, I'm going home. I've had enough of your shenanigans, and Granny hasn't swooped down to pick on me yet. I'd like to leave before she does." I pulled at Mairu's cheek and she squeaked. She managed to call my a liar, despite the fact that I was pulling on her mouth and squeezing her nose childishly.

"Did I hear someone say sleep over?" I heard my mom ask, standing in the doorway, looking irritated that Granny was standing right beside her. She suddenly glanced at Shizu-chan, and I momentarily worried for his well being. Or his purity. A night in an Orihara house would be a trying night indeed. "Yeah, that's a good idea. You two came a long way after all. How about you spend the night?" She winked, head tilting slightly towards granny. "I mean, it's not like you guys need separate rooms or anything, and I'm sure a single bed would be fine for you two."

Granny huffed, and I could see a vein popping in her forehead.

I sighed, glancing over to Shizuo. He shrugged, but the look on his face said he'd rather not travel all the way back to Ikebukuro so late. "It's up to you." He said, genueinly impassive on what I decided.

I sighed louder. "Fine."

Mairu instantly cheered, jumping up. "You'll tell us the story right!?"

"Girls, how about you go and set up a bed room for them?" Mom said, smiling brightly. Mairu instantly shot up, grabbing Kururi's arm, and like a train, Aoba was inevitably dragged with them. "And Shizuo, Do you mind helping me with something? Us Orihara's aren't gifted with height like yours."

I rolled my eyes. "Sure." Shizuo nodded, before patting my head like some sort of dog and getting up. "Behave yourself," He said to me, over his shoulder, as he disappeared into the kitchen with my mother. I laughed, but remained where I was. This might be a long night.

They left me with Granny. She was giving me that evil eye, and I already knew what was probably going to come from her mouth. I stood up carefully, stretching an arm over my head and nodding to her. "A nice night we're having." I said casually, with only a hint of a smile.

"You really are a problem child." She muttered, stroking the cat like a witch would. "Who invited you into this house?"

I blinked at her for a moment, halting in my decision to follow Shizu-chan into the kitchen. "Oh my, you make me sound like I'm a demon who shouldn't be invited in." I said, laughing coldly, "and my mother invited me. Is there a problem?"

Granny glared, but I paid her no mind. "No. I suppose not." She said, clearly indicating that there was indeed a problem.

I blinked, before chuckling. I shrugged, "Eh, then why make such a fuss? If you're sleeping here too, then just lock your doors and set up some crosses to make sure that I can't eat you in your sleep." I laughed at her look of disgust before heading closer to the kitchen.

"You might as well have been raised by wolves."

I sighed. There was always that one relative who hated your guts. "I"m sure wolves would have better social skills then even you." I said, glancing at her over my shoulder. "Now did you come in to start this verbal banter, or were you just passing by? Because if I cannot assist you, then I will humbly excuse myself to assist my boyfriend." Not that Shizu-chan has officially asked me out. According to him. But minor details. She didn't need to know. I could see that simple word boiled her blood anyway.

Good.

Granny scoffed, standing up with the cat. She was short and hunched, and her wrinkly face almost reminded me of one of the lawn gnomes. She muttered 'demon child' before turning away, heading towards the stairs.

My laughter stopped her though, and before I could really stop myself, I was gliding across the room and setting an hand lightly on my shoulder. "Me? A demon child? No, no, that would be this,"

I had the heart to show her a picture, a nice little picture that Shinra had sent me from his fathers lab. A little black mass that I dared not define anymore, the image merely serving as a mental reminder that I need to get better and make better choices. I was almost surprised that I did it, as cruel as it was, and I came to the split second acceptance that I was prepared for whatever kind of trouble this may lead too.

I, however, wasn't prepared to have Granny screech and then collapse on the floor.

Mom was rushing out of the kitchen with Shizuo instantly, her eyes going wide when she saw her mother-in-law unconscious, and me standing beside her looking both shocked and slightly triumphant. The twins came on a full run down the stairs, freezing when they saw the situation. I simply held my hands up in surrender just as my father rushed into the house, startled by the noise.

Shizuo handed Mairu her bet money from earlier, and Kururi sighed in defeat.

"Whoops," was all I could mutter, before my father was kicking me and Shizu-chan out of the house.

"I told you it'd be fun." I laughed, snuggling up to Shizuo on his couch. We were watching some movie, featuring his brother (Ha! who would have thought!?) and Shizuo had done nothing but sigh dramatically since we got home. It was well past midnight, and as tired as we both were, we couldn't seem to sleep. He was lying on his side, eyes glued to the TV, and I was lying on my back, cuddled up against him. Shizu-chan's couch was larger then I had thought -or we were both smaller then I had thought - and somehow we had laid ourselves down together on it, wrapped up in a blanket.

"Was that really necessary?" He asked, mouth lightly pressing into my temple. "What did you even do to that poor old lady?

I hummed, deciding that it was. I did bet after all. And I was always a winner. "You don't want to know."

He sighed, arm curling tightly around my hip. "Listen, tomorrow, I'm chasing you down the street with a fucking sign for this, okay?"

I laughed, patting his arm in good humor. "Oh? How mean. I'm not apologizing, if that's what you want from me."

He groaned, rolling me closer to him so that we were face to face, his eyes half lidded, and he lightly kissed my forehead. "And then, when I'm done screaming at you, we're gonna' go out for a nice lunch." He wrapped both of his arms around me, pulling me flush against him, pressing his face against mine.

"Ooo, sounds like a date, Shizu-chan." I giggled, giving him a nice kiss on the lips. He hummed in appreciation before kissing back. "And then what?"

"Hmm? I'd say we'd go for a nice romantic walk down Sunshine, but that sounds lame as fuck." He chuckled, nuzzling his face into my neck. "We could just stir up some trouble. It wouldn't be right if we let the city rest easy, ya' know? Dating or not?"

He cuddled into me like I was an oversized teddy bear, arms pulling me closer and head tilting to rest by my shoulder. I laughed, poking him straight in the nose. "Then if you want to stir up some trouble, let's take a nice, romantic walk down Sunshine. Holding hands." I said, imagining half the populace taking pictures. We were practically celebrities. "And then we can go see a B-rated movie and laugh our asses off, and we'll feed you so much popcorn that you'll explode. And then boom! Shizu-chan is gone!"

He hummed, eye lids dropping closed. "Sounds like a plan. And I'll probably get pissed off at some point, and then we'll break some shit and come back home."

I laughed again, letting my forehead drop against his. There were still a few minor hurdles to overcome, but all in all, I think I was happy that something - as dramatic as it had been - had caused me to change my outlook on life. Shizuo hummed into my shoulder, sleep finally claiming him. I could feel my own eyes getting heavy, my breathing evening out and smothering the warm and fluttery feeling inside of my chest. "I think I can get used to this."

If this was the Devil's price, then I was glad to have done business.