They both lay under the covers, Izaya and Shizuo, nothing but sheets and blankets to cover their bodies. It had been a passionate night, and they had worn themselves out in their lovemaking.

Izaya was the first to drift off, snuggling close to his lover, caressing his chest a bit- had he the energy and arousal, he would tease and suck the blonde's nipple and drive him wild… but it had been a long night. Tomorrow night he'd turn him on again, they needed their rest now.

Slinking his arm around Shizuo's abdomen, the raven pulled himself close, nuzzling against him; he listened to his heartbeat… a soothing rhythm that helped him dose off.

Shizuo listened as the informant breathed softly, his breath on his bare skin. The ex-bartender had to chuckle; his flea was so cute when he slept. His arms wrapped around him, he rubbed Izaya's back, reaching lower to his rear.

Had he still been in the mood, he would have given it a squeeze- that always drove his lover insane. But he had squeezed it enough for the night… in fact, there were probably some bruises and hand-prints on it as hard as he grasped it tonight. True, Izaya didn't mind if he got a little rough… but he didn't want to hurt him.

Shizuo caressed Izaya's rear gently; his lover never snapped at him for any pain caused when they did it, but that didn't mean the blonde could be as rough as he liked. He had to keep his strength in-check. Suppose he broke his lover's pelvis, or his spine, or his ribs…

Suppose… he killed him?

He wrapped his arms around his flea. It wasn't the first time he had this thought… but he pushed it out of mind the moment his lover sighed in his sleep, tangling his legs with the blonde's.

He could never kill him. No matter how many times they would vow they would… it wouldn't happen. All those chases and brawls were just means of fighting boredom and/or blowing off steam.

But once they were alone together, the real stress-relief began, and it got better afterwards.

Every time they ended a lovemaking session, Izaya would be tired out and cuddle him. Sometimes, they would skip the sex entirely and curl up together, just wanting to be wrapped in each other's arms.

Shizuo loved holding the flea; it helped remind him of how incapable he was at killing Izaya- to assure him that his lover was not in danger when loving him.

Actually… the raven seemed more secure. No, he was secure with The Monster of Ikebukuro- his monster. If anyone tried to hurt Izaya, it would be their fatal mistake; Shizuo would hunt them down and impale them with a street-sign- and that's if he had an ounce of mercy against them.

He rolled over onto his back, pulling the informant on top of him. It was his lover's favorite position, using his protozoan as a body-pillow. He didn't mind it either, as it gave him extra warmth.

Izaya let out a satisfied sigh, nuzzling against him in his sleep, his arms tightening around him, his legs folding against the blonde's thighs; Shizuo rubbed his back with one hand, while running his other hand through the raven's hair, stroking his head as he planted at kiss on top.

The clock chimed on the wall; it was 1 AM. They had crawled in bed at 9 PM. Normally they didn't end up on the mattress until midnight, after a chase through town… but Izaya wanted to do something different.

He had kept his pace slow, so that the ex-bartender could catch him easier. Once he pulled him into the alley, the informant wrapped his arms around Shizuo, nuzzling his neck, whispering about having a long day, being tired, and just wanting to spend the rest of the night with his protozoan.

The blonde obliged, and carried him back to his apartment. Barely halfway there his flea wrapped his legs around his waist and arms around his neck, kissing his collarbone… It took all of Shizuo's strength not to break restraint and bang him on the sidewalk!

Now here they were once again: Izaya lying atop Shizuo, sleeping peacefully as if he were on a fluffy cloud. The blonde held him the same way he always did- as if he would never get the chance again.

In truth, he never got many chances to hug someone, much less snuggle. With his short temper and alarming strength, people must think he'd break them in half if he tried. Same went with getting a date- others would probably fear he'd tear them in half!

Their fears led to his paranoia about hurting Izaya in a moment of passion… until he remembered that, in a way, Izaya was the one who reminded him of his humanity. All those fights and pursuits helped Shizuo keep from unleashing his outbursts on anyone else (unless some brain-dead thug got in his way); the way Izaya goaded him on, daring the blonde to kill him, worked as some sort of reverse-psychology that kept him from losing his last nerve.

Izaya wasn't afraid of him… and that's what helped Shizuo actually feel human.

He always called him a monster… but the informant always knew the Monster of Ikebukuro didn't have the heart to kill. He managed to get in touch with his soft side.

…

Shizuo never forgot that day. It was another chase, he caught Izaya near his apartment- the flea actually ran inside his apartment! When the blonde caught him, Izaya suggested an alternative of his violent fits…

It took a lot of convincing. Some furniture was thrown. Shouts were exchanged. …But in the end, Shizuo decided to give it a try, figuring if he didn't get into it he could just throw the raven out the window.

After their first kiss… damn, he didn't want to admit it, but his enemy-at-the-time was right.

The question was, why did Izaya come up with such an idea? Was it because he was crazy? Was it just some experiment? …or did he just want to send a message to the blonde?

The blonde looked at his lover.

It didn't matter now…

The flea- his flea- helped the 'monster' feel human. Feel loved.

And he was going to do the same for him.

Izaya shifted in his sleep, slipping off the blonde and turning on his side. Shizuo turned in the same direction, tucking one arm behind his head while keeping the other wrapped around Izaya's waist, spooning against him.

In the morning, they would go out and return to their usual routing of chasing and fighting… but for now, Shizuo held him close.

Chances are, Izaya would have to fight just to get out of his arms.

If he wanted to.

Fatigue coming over him, Shizuo nuzzled against Izaya, keeping close as he joined him in the realm of dreams.

Though it felt as if they were both already there.

FIN

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A/N: No explanation behind this one. I just wanted to throw in some soft Shizaya fluff ^-^