The flashback ended by the time Shizuo was sitting next to his dullahan friend on the sofa. The journey there had been a blur, but from what he could remember, Celty had spotted the duo as Shizuo sprinted down the sidewalk with Izaya in his arms. He had to go the rest of the way by cab while Izaya went with the biker much faster. He nearly killed the driver for driving too slow, but eventually made it after what seemed like forever with the cabbie's skull left intact.

Celty had offered him something but he refused with a grunt. He was leaning in, elbows on his knees, staring intently at his owns shoes. The room was completely silent other than the tapping of Celty's fingers against her keyboard.

[Are you that nervous, Shizuo?]

The blonde glared at the screen. What kind of question was that?!

He had all sorts of reasons to be nervous.

What if the thing- no, the kid- the whatever came out dead or deformed or something? What if it had kicked a giant hole in Izaya's stomach or ruptured his internal organs trying to get out? Was it really going to cry and poop and eat all the time? What if the flea left him with it, even after the nine months they had come to learn so much more about one another?

What if he held it wrong and dropped it? Or crushed it with his brute strength when he tried to hold it? What if other kids picked on them when they went to school? What if he sucked at being a parent and got the baby taken away, or made them want to run away? Or made Izaya want to leave and take it with him?

What if it got some kind of terrible unknown disease where all its skin fell off or what if she took candy from strangers or-

Celty thumped the blonde on his head. He shot a confused look her way. Her arms were crossed, but he could tell she wasn't angry... She sensed his fear and wanted him to stop worrying so much.

They waited in silence through the night. Celty got up and one point to get on the computer and change in to her night gown, but Shizuo remained where he was. Why was it taking so damn long? Did something go wrong?

It was 7:47 in the morning when Shinra came through the soundproof door which divided his work area from his actual apartment. Shizuo looked up at him, dazed, as he had finally started to fall asleep from utter exhaustion. Both men looked equally as exhausted, but the doctor managed to smile at him. Celty came back to the room after hearing the click of the door.

"Izaya's awake. Do you want to see... her?"

Shizuo stared at him dumbly for a moment. 'It' was a her...

He stood, heart race picking back up. Right after he'd gotten it to slow down, too...

"Why didn't you tell me right when she came out?!" he questioned as he and Celty followed the doctor in to the room.

"Shizuo, I had to clean it and make sure Iza..."

Shinra's words didn't register in Shizuo's ears because his eyes had landed on Izaya, who was propped up on the hospital-style bed, looking back at his lover with groggy eyes. That wasn't what the blonde was really looking at though. He was staring at the bundle of white blankets in his arms. He stepped over hurriedly, reaching for the cloth that covered his daughter's face.

Izaya's head rolled back and he looked up at him weakly, then he smiled genuinely as Shizuo saw the baby for the first time.

She had Shizuo's hair; his natural hair, of course. It was a little tuft on the top of her wrinkly, pink, newborn head. Her eyes were still clenched shut.

"Shizu-chan... What kind of look on your face is that?" the raven questioned with a soft chuckle. Hazel eyes met amber ones again.

Izaya and Shizuo were in their own little world, lost in each other's eyes, telling each other everything through them as always. Celty was to the side, arms shaking in front of her chest like she was silently spazzing out at the sight. Shinra stared at her, looking a bit confused, but he touched by the unusual sight as well.

"What were you planning on naming her?" he piped up curiously, only to be ignored.

He felt Celty pushing him out, much to his surprise. She slammed the door, standing out side the door with him, leaving the two alone.

"She... she's beautiful," Shizuo muttered, looking down at the sleeping infant in awe. He reached his arm out, but withdrew it quickly when the thought of crushing her passed his mind.

"Shizuo, that's rather vain. She looks so much like you," the informant teased softly, amused at how his lover was acting. The blonde rolled his eyes, but leaned down and captured Izaya's lips in a tender kiss, which the raven returned without a second thought.

...

"Whoever said that you get used to having a baby was a fucking liar."

"Don't cuss around Airi."

Shizuo collapsed face first on to 'his' sofa, while his 'spouse' sat in his usual recliner with said infant in his arms, which he'd finally managed to put to sleep. The bodyguard turned his face to them, eyeing the informant through narrow, tired eyes. Izaya had lost the baby weight as soon as he was able to get back on his feet from the surgery, and was as lean and fit as ever.

"She's six months old, she won't remember anything."

"Yeah, well I don't want her first words to be "fuck" or "shit" or "Protozoan," he shot back, trying to make his best Shizuo voice for each example and just ending up sounding adorably stupid.

That made Shizuo smile, despite his lack of sleep and his exhausting day at work with Tom.

"That's way too long of a word for a baby to say."

Izaya gave him one of those 'Good job Captain Obvious' looks and he rose up and groaned as he stretched. He sauntered over to the sitting protozoan and leaned in.

"I'll put her to bed."

No protests there, and for good reason. Shizuo would be gone from 1:00 PM to 9:00 at night. Izaya had kept his job as an informant, but began working more from home to be with Airi. When he did go out as needed, he'd hire Namie to babysit, and be totally exhausted on the job.

Shizuo gently took the infant in to his arms. It had always astounded Izaya that someone capable of surviving a truck hitting him and proceeding to throw it down the street soon afterward could also be so gentle and timid as well. Of course, Izaya remembered how Shizuo would flinch whenever he tried to hold her the first few days in fear of harming her.

The watched the blonde carry it to their room and soon stood to follow. Since she'd already fallen asleep, hopefully they could catch up on some well-needed rest.

That was hopeful thinking.

Izaya, already changed in to those maroon sleep pants that he would not dare show anyone but the man across the room, who was undressing, threw himself on to the bed as Shizuo placed Airi down in her crib.

The other man soon joined him after taking off his bartender suit and leaving only his boxer shorts. He got on to the left side, while Izaya scooted to the right to give him room.

Shizuo was the opposite of Izaya; he sprawled out when he slept, arms in legs just out in random directions. One would usually find its way to the other and drag him close, but it worked out perfectly since Izaya could curl back up against him with his head on his chest. This time, Shizuo turned Izaya's body away from him and pressed up against his back, arms tightly snaking around him in a vice grip.

The raven grunted a bit in to the pillow as a face buried itself against his ear and nibbled. "Shizu-chan..." he sighed in pleasure. "... Tired."

The blonde rolled on top on him, Izaya's stomach pressed against the mattress, earning a low grunt of disapproval since the informant did not like being dominated. He was attacking his neck with kisses that caused the sounds of protest to morph in to more soft, pleasured sighs.

Shizuo bit down on his shoulder.

"SHIZU-"

Off went Airi, wailing as the loud gasp of the flea woke her.

Both men let out loud sighs of defeat in unison. "Fuck."

...

There was a point when the crying, diaper changing, and whining all became a blur. Maybe it was the exhaustion, or maybe the two mortal enemies had just learned to work together. Maybe it was the day Shizuo finally stopped paying rent on his own apartment he never went to, as their own sort of silent confirmation that they wanted to stay with one another.

Or perhaps it was the day when Airi spoke her first word: Flea. Said flea was horrified but the bodyguard was thrilled as she chanted 'Flea! Flea!" whenever Izaya tried to speak. Or when 'Aunt Celty' and 'Uncle Shinra' celebrated her first birthday with them.

But most likely, it was all of these moments and how they brought them closer together. It seemed like the diaper changing and interrupted intimacy was part of the reward in some odd way, because Shizuo and Izaya, two men who once were intent on destroying one another, were brought together from lust and denial, and then a child, and they did not want any other alternative or chance to repeat it.

Of course, the monster and the deadly informant still had to deal with a teenager in the future.

A/N: I might make a little sequel about the time period when Izaya was pregnant in those 9 months and the bonding then but I have school. So be patient with me IF that even happens. -hides- ;_: