July 12, 2013

This chapter has not been proofread (as are most of the other ones...).

One and Only, Right? Chapter 14:

"Why didn't you answer?" Shizuo glared at Izaya, but not before he ran his eyes down Izaya's person. He was unkempt, a rare sight that Shizuo could only connect to that night in the alleyway, when he found him abused out of his mind. Here he was worried that the reckless flea went strolling in the middle of the night again, but he stood in his doorway, eyes sullen and shoulders slouched. Shizuo's eyebrows furrowed, and he didn't notice that his glare lost its intensity. Izaya regarded him blankly, with his usual unreadable expression, but Shizuo suspected some slight confusion in those sharp, muddy-red eyes.

Izaya raised an eyebrow. "Not answer?" He motioned to his opened door. "Shizu-chan, what part of this is not answering?" He didn't know why Shizuo was here, especially at such an hour. Granted, neither of them followed the daytime-nighttime schedules of ordinary, upstanding citizens, but he still didn't expect such a late visit. Shouldn't the brute be home, nuzzling his pretty fiancée?

Ah, that's right. Bastard was engaged now. Who would've guessed it! Shizuo, the rampaging monster of Ikebukuro, was soon to be married. Izaya scoffed. He found it quite fitting that Shizuo's bride will be an emotionless, brutal assassin. Oh, what a pair.

What a pair, indeed. Izaya chuckled, and couldn't contain it. He threw his head back laughing, leaning against the door frame as he wrapped an arm around his stomach. The annoying blond standing in front of him had no idea how much he controlled Izaya's life. Izaya himself didn't know how much Shizuo controlled his life, not until now, when he realized the mess he was in and how badly he had fallen apart.

Shizuo gritted his teeth, and anger replaced concern in the creases of his forehead. The fuck was so funny? He felt like a fool, coming all the way here. Why did he bother, anyways? There was no way he could actually be worried about this bastard. Izaya didn't care for anyone; Shizuo knew from the very beginning. So what was he doing now?

"The hell are you laughing about?" Shizuo said, his eyes never leaving Izaya's frame. In spite of himself, Shizuo noticed just how thin those shoulders were, now that the informant only wore the black t-shirt without his fur-trimmed coat. Shizuo briefly noted that the coat created the illusion that Izaya was larger than he actually was, and even then, the raven was small. How very "Izaya" that was—even his appearance hid the real person underneath everything. Shizuo wondered how he hadn't noticed before, but that led to the question of why he noticed now.

Izaya's laughter abruptly halted, a gasp of pain cutting the breath from his mouth. His fingers clenched tightly into a fist, and he doubled over, falling to the floor. Shizuo's eyes widened, his jaw dropping open as he rushed to the informant's side and righted him in his arms.

"The fuck? Hey! What are you doing?"

Shizuo was about to shake the small man in his arms, and he frowned when he remembered in time that that was not the best choice of action. He spoke too loudly, but there was no redoing that. Izaya seemed to be asleep, but his eyes were clenched tight, and he looked like he was in pain. Shizuo had no idea what to do. Who falls asleep in the middle of laughing? Or did he really fall asleep?

No matter who it was, this wasn't normal, was it? Shizuo glanced down at Izaya again, and he really didn't think that could be considered "sleeping." So, did he faint? Why would Izaya faint like that? Shizuo had no answer. It was the only logical conclusion, though, and Shizuo had not the slightest clue what to do with a fainted person. Was he supposed to let them sleep it out?

Unless, Shizuo remembered, unless that Shiki-whoever had poisoned him at that restaurant. Given that Izaya probably had all enemies and no friends, Shizuo wouldn't be surprised. Then again, wouldn't Izaya have been poisoned a long time ago? So shouldn't he be more cautious than that? Shizuo could never guess what twisted shit was going through that annoying tick's mind.

As Shizuo racked his brain and paralyzed himself with an onslaught of questions, Izaya stirred. He felt his head continue to throb to the pulse of his pumping heart, a horrible, fast-paced ba-bump that pounded through his head and he winced. It hurt like a bitch. He didn't know what happened and where he was, but he didn't suspect anything and believed that he was in his room or on the couch and had woken up with a splitting headache, like he was prone to do in the past few days. He slowly pried opened his eyes as he groaned, trying to push himself upright, only to realize that he wasn't quite lying down. His eyes snapped open and his hand reached for his flickblade, but he wasn't wearing his jacket so his hand met air and he struggled to get away as his panic heightened.

Izaya couldn't hear the shouted words nor did he recognize Shizuo's voice, but he knew he wasn't alone and his instinct was to run.

Shizuo grasped onto Izaya's wrists tightly, but the nimble informant pried one arm free and was desperately reaching for any type of support. Shizuo wrangled him and locked him on the floor, holding him down with his weight. Shizuo had never caught Izaya before in their chases, and having to immobile him now proved a surprising challenge. It shouldn't have been, seeing as Izaya was strong and agile. His stature deceived easily. Underneath Shizuo, Izaya was still struggling.

"Fle—I…zaya," Shizuo said. His voice sounded calmer than he expected. "Izaya, calm down." The raven didn't seem to hear, so Shizuo repeated himself, louder, and he gripped those wrists more tightly. "Izaya, I'm not gonna hurt you."

Slowly, Shizuo's words seemed to go through. Izaya stopped struggling and his brows creased in confusion. Relief washed through Shizuo, and he had no time to question it.

Shizuo repeated himself.

"Izaya, it's me. I'm not gonna hurt you."

Why Izaya would feel safe with him, Shizuo wouldn't know, but the words came out on their own. His mouth seemed to know what to say, but Shizuo had no idea if he was right at all.

"Izaya, it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you. Can you hear me?"

Izaya didn't move, but Shizuo didn't care too much for the answer. As long as Izaya wasn't struggling, then Shizuo could get him off the floor more easily, especially if he didn't want to break some bones accidentally. He wondered what exactly just happened, but he had no time to question it when he still had to bring Izaya back inside. Slowly, he slipped off Izaya's back and loosened his grip, and immediately Izaya wrenched his arms away and jumped a good distance into the shadows of his apartment.

Shizuo thought he heard a hushed curse, and a thud, as Izaya fell onto his knees and clenched his head. Shizuo couldn't see him clearly, only his silhouette, but Shizuo was at a lost. What was going on?

"Izaya," he called into the flat.

Shizuo's voice pulled Izaya into reality somewhat, and he lifted his head slightly to the light of the doorway. Shizuo was standing there, looking straight at him, and Izaya was confused. What was Shizuo doing here? What just happened?

His other arm shot up to his head and he let out a muffled shout as his head hurt the worse it ever did. He couldn't think, he couldn't move, he couldn't protect himself. What a pathetic sight this definitely was, and he couldn't even slam the door in Shizuo's face so that he couldn't see Izaya like this.

Shizuo heard the cry of pain and he could see Izaya on the floor with his head in his hands, but Shizuo didn't move. He couldn't move. What was he supposed to do? He hadn't the slightest idea what to do. His mind returned a blank.

He had never seen anyone in such a state. He had beaten numerous ruffians and debtors until they were bloodied with quite a few broken bones, but he hadn't stayed long enough to care about their wellbeing. Even when he did, they were too far gone to show the pain.

Shizuo, with his unusual body, wasn't quite the one to know what physical pain was.

So now, seeing Izaya in such a state, Shizuo was at a lost at what to do. He could simply turn around and leave, but a nagging feeling in his chest warned him that he would never live it down if he did.

He took steady steps towards Izaya, and even though he could see the informant tense, Shizuo continued until he kneeled on one leg across from him. "Don't worry; I'm not gonna hurt you." How many times have he said that already? Shizuo raised his palms in a gesture of peace, but Izaya stilled eyed him skeptically.

"What…do you want?"

To say the least, Shizuo was shocked at Izaya's voice. While it usually held a lilting quality and a smug tone, right now it sounded hoarse and clipped. In all the years Shizuo had known him, Izaya had never sounded like this. He had never sounded so…human.

"I want to know what's going on."

After Izaya regarded him for a brief second, he said, "Nothing."

"Don't fucking screw with me."

"I meant nothing of your business."

Shizuo glared. This little shit really had the nerve to act like that at a time like this? "It's my fucking business if I decide it is."

It was Izaya's turn to narrow his eyes. He didn't reply; he didn't have the strength to. All he wanted to do was curl on the floor right there and sleep, so he could forget everything and not care about anything. Why was it that he had to care about Shizuo and whatever he did?

Neither of them backed down, and Shizuo was the first to burst. "God damn it, Izaya, why do you have to be so fucking difficult all the time?"

"It's fun."

Well, that was a reply Shizuo wasn't exactly expecting. "Fun? Are you still caring about fun at a time like this? Is falling on the ground like a potato sack fun for you, too?"

Izaya opted not to reply again, and Shizuo wondered angrily if he was messing with him, or if he was hiding something. It could very well be both.

Standing up, Izaya said, "Please take your leave now, Shizu-chan. It's quite late. Shouldn't you have been home a few hours ago? Your dear fiancée must be worried sick."

Izaya avoided Shizuo's eyes, and the blond thought he heard bitterness in Izaya's tone. He stood, too, but he didn't move to leave. He watched as Izaya turned and (tried to) walk to his room, or somewere, Shizuo didn't know, but he didn't find out as Izaya wobbled and his knees gave out under him. The raven reached for his couch's backrest to steady himself.

Yeah, Shizuo scoffed in his mind, you're perfectly fine and dandy. He stepped over to Izaya and pulled him up, disregarding the loud curses thrown at him and the feeble struggle to break free. He easily lifted Izaya off the ground and dumped him on the couch.

"Sit the fuck down." He looked down at Izaya, determined not to back down, and slipped his hands into the pockets of his slacks. He could tell that Izaya was angry, furious, actually. The Izaya that Shizuo was used to seeing had control over his expressions and his demeanor, so the blatant hatred in Izaya's eyes at the moment was a raw and obvious indicator of just how livid the informant was.

"Why do you care, Shizuo?" Izaya bit out after an angry, short intake of breath.

Shizuo blinked, caught off guard with the question. He repeated the question to himself, and he wondered why, as well. Didn't he hate Izaya? Hadn't he sworn many times already that he'd kill the man? Yes. Yes, he did and he had. He also found Izaya in the alleyway. He also saw him bloodied, dirtied, sullied. He also carried him back to Shinjuku. Why had he done those things? Was he trying to be a good and noble soul who'd save anyone from harm? No, Shizuo didn't believe that. Then what was he doing?

Shizuo realized that Izaya had said his actual name.

"I don't know."

Izaya was taken aback. He expected Shizuo to shout and demand an answer, complete with the it doesn't matter why spiel. Shizuo just always had to surprise Izaya. With his brute strength, his unpredictable actions, his sudden engagement. Izaya never saw any of those coming. Stupidly, he had been convinced that Shizuo would never marry.

Izaya let out a scoff. "You don't know, Shizu-chan?" He decided to take on his condescending façade again. "How can you not know, hm?"

He saw Shizuo clench his fists, and the corner of his lip tugged upward slightly. Now, if he can rile up Shizuo, he'll be able to direct the focus elsewhere. He didn't need Shizuo to know anything. He didn't want Shizuo to act like this towards him anymore. It was annoying. Why did he decide to pretend like he cared now? And worst of all, Izaya knew he wasn't pretending. Shizuo never faked anything.

Izaya heard Shizuo take a deep breath, and then he said, "We're not gonna do this your way. Stop twisting words and speak like a normal person." He sat down opposite of Izaya and waited. He was not going to let himself lose his cool.

Izaya stared blankly for a second, his mind unable to churn as quickly tonight as it used to. He couldn't think of a way to get himself out of this with words, since Shizuo was too thick-headed to understand. He didn't know how to twist the situation.

A disgusting taste rushed up Izaya's throat and he gagged. Shit. He ignored Shizuo and hurried to the bathroom on unstable feet. He fell over the toilet and retched, the minimal food he ate earlier coming back up and out of his mouth. He heard Shizuo coming to the door, which he had carelessly swatted close, and he suspected in the back of his mind that it wasn't shut. He gagged again, with no more half-digested food surging back from his stomach, and his throat felt raw and tasted absolutely horrid. He gasped for breath, watching the water swirl away the pinkish-orange mess through blurred, watery eyes. He felt disgusting. His mouth tasted wretched. He smelled like sewage, too. Reaching for the sink, Izaya pulled himself up with much effort and hung his head over the sunken marble.

After catching his breath, Izaya rinsed his mouth, still ignoring Shizuo behind him, and lifted his head to meet his reflection. He looked a mess. He was a mess. Part of Shizuo's reflection was visible in the mirror, and Izaya saw that he was staring at his reddened eyes and flushed face. Izaya splashed some water on his face, trying to calm down, and turned to Shizuo with a smirk. "Had fun watching that?"

The brief expression—which Izaya refused to suspect as worry—in Shizuo's eyes quickly changed into a flash of anger. "Are you still trying to say you're okay?"

Shizuo didn't know what else to say. Suddenly collapsing, throwing up, and who knows what else? He refused to believe that there was nothing more to those things, and he refused to let Izaya brush it off. The unsettling feeling in his gut returned and he had to get rid of it—by getting to the bottom of this.

Izaya narrowed his eyes. "Why do you insist that there's something wrong?"

"You fucking threw up! What part of that is fine?"

Shizuo didn't know what he expected, but he realized that Izaya was much, much more difficult than he ever cared to notice.

Izaya waved him off. "I merely ate some food that my stomach doesn't agree to."

"There's more to that."

"No," Izaya met his eyes, "there isn't. Now, Shizu-chan, did you plan on staying overnight without taking my life, or would you kindly let me rest?"

Judging from the tensing of Shizuo's hands, Izaya supposed that the blond hadn't thought that far. He probably thought he could somehow pry the answer he wanted from Izaya and be done with it. Ah, what a shame.

"I'm not letting you go for this," Shizuo said.

"Of course not," Izaya sighed in mock agreement.

After he ushered Shizuo out, Izaya ran a tired hand through his hand and grimaced.

Shizuo came back the day after. Then the next day, and the next, for the following weeks. At first, Izaya took to staying away from his office, but then Shizuo would come looking for him. It was an entirely different chase then. While Shizuo still chased him relentlessly, it was unlike before, when Shizuo would charge at him with the intent to murder; the blond pursued him with the full purpose of actually catching him. The notion bothered Izaya, and he took to hiding instead of flamboyantly dangling himself in front of the unpredictable fuse.

Then Shizuo decided to wait at his door until he returned, often silently fuming as he stared at Izaya a lengths away. Izaya had tried to run, not understanding why Shizuo bothered to seek him out actively now.

"What do you want from me so desperately, Shizu-chan?" Izaya shouted on the top of his lungs as he jumped across roof tops.

"An answer, you flea!"

Shizuo had followed him relentlessly, and Izaya wondered why it seemed like Shizuo spent every free minute of his life searching for Izaya. Didn't he have better things to do?

But wasn't that what Izaya wanted? Yes, it was, but not like this. Shizuo didn't have to know; he didn't have to know anything about him. Izaya didn't want him to know. His life was boring, and everyone was boring. That was why he enjoyed creating havoc; he held control. He hated that he had no control over his own life, no matter how he tried. So he decided to control others.

Shizuo had asked Tom about the symptoms once. He mulled over why someone would lose consciousness like that, coupled with the puking.

"Pregnancy. That's the first thing that comes to mind."

Pregnancy? Shizuo raised his brows. There was no way. Izaya's a man. He couldn't get pregnant. Unless…unless he was actually a girl? Shizuo grimaced at the idea. No, that would be unpleasant. It wasn't far-fetched, though…that guy was small enough to be one, and especially with his pale face, Shizuo wouldn't be surprised…wait, wait, what was he thinking? Izaya could not be a woman.

"Uh, Shizuo, it's not my position to ask, but, Vorona isn't pregnant is she?"

Shizuo lifted his head. What did Tom just ask? Vorona?

"Why would Vorona be pregnant?"

Tom stared at Shizuo's confused expression for a second, then sighed. "No, never mind what I said."

Shizuo did, and they walked in silence. Was that the only thing, though? Pregnancy? If it wasn't pregnancy, then what was going on with Izaya?

"Is that the only thing?" Shizuo asked.

"What?"

"Is there anything besides being pregnant?"

"Hmm," Tom hummed. "Possibly a concussion. You're not hurt, are you?"

A concussion, huh… Shizuo frowned. That sounded more like it. "It's probably a concussion, then." He wasn't looking at Tom; rather, he had forgotten he was speaking to Tom, who was now staring at him with a mix of worry and astonishment. Shizuo, hurt, and with a concussion?

"Shizuo, did you go to the hospital?"

"Huh?"

"Your concussion."

Shizuo blinked, not understanding for a moment.

"No, Tom, it's not me." Shizuo considered something, and asked, "How much work do we have today?"

.

.

To be continued...

[Thank you for sticking with me for so long! I'm sorry for my laziness.]