Disclaimer: i own only my OCs
Arlua was in the middle of a harware repair on Izaya's computer -the crazy informant had actually cut the wire that fed power to the indicator in the power button- when a familiar voice pulled her attention away from her work.
"Izaya? Are you here?" The technician frowned. What was Shinra doing here? His work and life with Celty usually kept him in Ikebukuro.
"Shinra?" Arlua said as the doctor stepped into the office.
"Arlua! What're you doing here?" he asked.
"I should be asking you that. I'm working. Hopefully I'll be done before...Orihara gets back," she replied.
"What a coincidence! I'm working too! Izaya asked me to come here. He didn't say you'd be here though," Shinra mused.
"Well consider who it is we're talking about. When has he ever told anyone anything when it didn't benefit him?" she pointed out.
"I'm hurt you think so little of me, Lu-chan." Arlua didn't have to look to know who had just come in behind Shinra. Even if it hadn't been for the nickname, she knew that voice, although something about it sounded off.
"You know exactly what I think of you, germ," she replied. She glanced up to glare at him and froze. "...Izzy...what happened to you?!"
Izaya stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame, with a dark stain spreading from his thigh. Was that...blood? Shinra sighed.
"You should've come to my apartment if you were shot," he said.
"Well if I had been shot in Ikebukuro I would have. But I was already on my way here so..."
"Quit talking about it and help him already, Shinra!" Arlua snapped. She shook off the shock and fear that had sluiced over her when she realized he was wounded. Shinra shrugged and moved to help Izaya to the couch.
"Aw, Lu-chan, you sound worried," Izaya observed as he lay down.
"You talk too much, cretin," she snapped before busying herself with her repair, trying to ignore Shinra's work and the fact that he was cutting Izaya's pants a little to get at the wound.
"You weren't supposed to be here," Izaya sighed. "I didn't think that repair job would take you this long."
"Yeah because I keep spares of every type of cable in my repair kit. I had to go all the way to the parts store across town to get this replacement. Otherwise I would've been long gone, believe me."
"Ah. Whoops," Izaya chuckled. Then he hissed. "Shinra, be gentle."
"You have a bullet in your leg. You want it out or not?" the doctor replied in a bored voice.
"Izzy, shut up. You got yourself shot, so quit complaining," Arlua snapped, pausing in her work so her trembling hands wouldn't mess up her replacement wire. "Who shot you, anyway?"
"Would you believe it was a teacher?" he asked, managing to mask any discomfort he was feeling as Shinra continued to work.
"Oh? If it was Ani, sure. But she's in Ikebukuro," Arlua answered. Izaya sighed.
"Not today she's not. She was planning to drop by your place when you got off work. I ran into her by accident, and she and Shizu-chan -yes he was here with her- decided to tag team me."
"Idiot," Arlua spat, closing the computer's chassis and putting her tools away, repair complete. "You should know better than to take them both on."
"All right, you're all patched up," Shinra announced. "Don't do anything too strenuous until I tell you that you can, okay? Arlua, will you keep an eye on him?"
"Me?!" the technician spluttered. "No! Why should I have to babysit the germ?! I deal with him enough; just take him back to your place if he needs more care."
"Lu-chan, I'm hurt," Izaya sighed. Arlua started to reply and hesitated. She glanced at the computer screen. The machine had booted up, and the security question for the password was onscreen.
'You called me _'
"Fine. I'll keep an eye on him," the technician muttered. Shinra didn't question her change of heart, instead giving her instructions on what to watch for and when it would be necessary to call him to come back. Then he was gone, leaving the technician and the informant alone.
"I should go see Shi and Ani," Arlua sighed. Izaya said nothing, just watched her. She glanced toward the door to make sure Shinra was really gone, then walked over to the couch. "I'll be back in an hour or so. Don't move," she ordered. Izaya raised an eyebrow.
"Make me," he replied. Arlua rested one hand on the couch next to his injured thigh and the other on his cheek as she leaned down.
"Don't move until I get back," she told him. Then she kissed him, finally letting her worry show in the movement of her mouth against his. He returned the kiss, smiling rather than smirking for once.
"Don't worry," he murmured when their lips parted. "I'm not going anywhere. Not until the monsters are gone."
"You're not going anywhere until Shinra says you're all better," Arlua replied. "Or your screensaver will be locked on the picture of you with the black eye Simon gave you a while ago. Just in case you forgot that happened."
Izaya gave her a sour look, which she laughed at. Then she kissed him again quickly before she headed for the door.
"Lu-chan, your tool kit," he called, noticing she left it beside his computer.
"I'm coming back here anyway. Don't mess with it," she replied.