A/N: Sorry for going AWOL for so long. I wanted to write this to try to help with Writer's Block as well as express my love for Pikachu~ I made it my duty to get into Pokemon more this summer, and I made it happen and ended up mixing this with some Durarara! However, I genderbent Psyche in this one because it feels more fitting, y'know. Tell me if you think it worked!

Shizuo's POV

What really defines a dedicated father? Spending a lot of time with your kids, buying them whatever they want, or maybe just letting them know that no matter what, you'll always love them? Even though children don't come with a manual, it's an experience that no one should pass up.

I should know – I never dreamed I'd have any, especially with Izaya.

What Izaya and I have is…a little more than "just complicated," but for a good while, all we had was a strict sexual relationship, point blank period. He claimed it was a "human necessity, even for a monster", though I was extremely skeptical. Things were kept to just that until the sex became less angry and rough and more intimate and enjoyable. I started staying multiple nights over at his apartment, being a lot more open with each other, and soon, we realized that we had created something more than "just sex."

Literally. No one told me he'd get pregnant…except Shinra later on.

The bastard said something about Izaya willing to help with an experiment he was working on, but things took a huge unexpected turn. I initially thought the raven would be furious beyond words, but instead, he nearly cried tears of joy when he found out. Honestly, I was still in shock over the whole situation, but eventually, I warmed up to the idea of having a son or daughter.

Of course, a bunch of changes were made to both of our lives. I moved in with him, started working extra hours, cut down on my smoking habit, tried suppressing my anger and bringing out the best of my patience as best I could, and made doubly sure that Izaya was in the best of health. Soon enough, our beautiful daughter Psyche was born, a spitting image of her mom. Those first few months were definitely challenging – I lost a lot of sleep, Izaya got a little behind in his work, and Psyche was a very energetic yet easily bored baby, so our attention towards her became our first priority.

Things did calm down for a bit, but something that happened early on is the main reason why I'm freaking out now.

When Psyche became old enough to learn how to process and learn things by one-on-one interaction, we set her in front of the TV a lot. Back then, the original Pokémon series would air, and Psyche immediately took a liking to it, especially one of the lead Pokémon, Pikachu.

In fact, "Pikachu" was her first word.

Over the next few years, I nearly had a damn Pika-stroke. Almost everything Psyche had or wanted was Pikachu related. I wish I was kidding when I say that her room is filled with mouse Pokémon merchandise – Pikachu blankets, Pikachu pillows, Pikachu posters, Pikachu books, Pikachu stickers, Pikachu clothes, Pikachu TV, Pikachu alarm clock, Pikachu figures, Pikachu cards, Pikachu plushies, and thanks to Mom…a freaking Pikachu Ninendo 64.

I didn't even have a regular Nintendo 64…

Oh, but it continues on into the kitchen – she only eats off her Pikachu plates and only drinks out of her Pikachu cups, not to mention she's got Pikachu magnets sprawled out all over the fridge holding up her Pikachu drawings. Hell, my heart nearly dropped when I saw Izaya sipping pure black coffee from a Pikachu mug. We even spent about ¥5000 on a tiny Pikachu nohohon, you know, one of those solar-powered bobble head thingies. Geez, worst case scenario – she suddenly changes her interest from Pikachu to freaking Raichu, and most of that stuff has no receipt.

Izaya, surprisingly, is completely tolerant of this whole thing. Once she had a huge temper tantrum in a McDonalds because the cashier gave her a Clefairy toy instead of a Pikachu toy in her Happy Meal, and all Izaya did in response was politely ask the employee to switch it out. He later bought her the Pokémon: Indigo League DVD set on one of her birthdays (a Pikachu themed party as you should know by now) as well as a limited edition Pikachu GameBoy with the Pokémon Yellow game, much to our daughter's joy. I, on the other hand, can't make heads or tails of the so-called "dedication", but hey, as long as my little girl is happy, that's all a dad can ask for.

Now, Psyche is five years old, turning six tomorrow, and after seeing her Birthday Wish list, it seems the Pikachu thing hasn't stopped yet. She is sitting at the kitchen table, doing some math homework with a Pikachu pencil in her right hand and a Pikachu calculator in the other. Izaya emerges from the upstairs bedroom, waltzing into the kitchen and kissing Psyche on top of her head.

"Are you super excited for tomorrow?" Izaya coos with a grin.

Psyche nods eagerly, "Uh-huh! Uh-huh! I'll get a bunch of new Pika stuff, won't I Mommy?"

"Of course, dear," the older raven smiles, "In fact, Mommy's got a big surprise for you at your birthday party~"

The little girl's pinkish eyes grow even wider in delight, "Really?! What is it?"

"Nu-uh~" Izaya moves toward the coffee maker to fill his mug, taking a sip afterwards, "If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?"

One trait that Psyche shares with me is impatience, so it doesn't surprise me when she starts to pout.

"Aw, Mom…" she sulks, "But I have to know! Tell me, and I-I promise I'll act surprised tomorrow!"

Izaya laughs, "Not taking any chances. You'll just have to wait, Psyche~"

Psyche groans, hopping down from her chair and running into my lap in the living room. I chuckle, petting her head.

"Daddy, you'll tell me what it is, won't you?" she says, looking up to me with glassy magenta eyes. I shake my head, partly because I have no idea what Izaya has planned, so I can't tell her even if I want to.

"If Mommy won't tell you, then I can't tell you either," I reply, getting an annoyed expression in response.

"But Daaaaad…"

"No buts. There's nothing worse than a spoiled surprise, y'know."

Her face twitches in mild frustration, but she sighs heavily and says, "Fine…"

"That's my girl. Now, how's about you start up the N64 to play with your Pikachu? I'll play with you if you want."

She blinks, slowly spreading a huge smile before running up to her room, "Okay~!"

Izaya walks into the living room, sitting down comfortably in his office chair.

"Oh dear…" he yawns, stretching, "We got a long day tomorrow, huh?"

"Yeah…" I retort, "No kidding…hey, Izaya."

"Hmm?"

"What exactly is this…'surprise'? You haven't told me anything about that."

He grins, "Hmm…well, I guess you can keep a secret, even though you ruined the surprise when I bought her that 'Hey You Pikachu!' game…"

"Hey, I was trying to make sure the Voice Recognition Unit worked!" I point out.

"Shizu-chan, you were screaming at the poor thing in her room so much that you didn't even hear her come in…but anyway, this surprise is way different~"

"Oh yeah?" I raise an eyebrow, "How so? It's becoming impossible to get new Pikachu merchandise we don't already have."

"Well…" the informant starts coyly, "…I hired a Pikachu cosplayer to show up at Psyche's party~"

My eyes widen, "…Seriously? When'd you do that?"

"About a week or so ago," he replies, glancing at his fingernails, "It's like how Americans hire a clown for their birthday parties, except Pikachu. I just know she's gonna love it~!"

I nod, "Yeah…"

"Oh? What is it?"

"It's just…" I hesitate, "…how long is this phase going to last? I'm not mad or anything, just…concerned…"

Izaya shrugs, "I know it looks like it, but I'm sure this won't last forever. This was all created from a certain influence, a cute childhood influence. I mean, Pikachu is pretty popular, especially with girls, but eventually, girls become ladies."

I let all of that sink in before saying anything else, "I…I guess."

Suddenly, Izaya's cell phone rings. Puzzled at first, the informant flips it open to answer.

"Yes? Yes, that's correct, is something wrong? Oh…oh, that's terrible, I'm so sorry. Is there nothing you can do? I see…no, no, no it's fine – I wish him a speedy recovery. Alright…okay, goodbye…"

Izaya hangs up the phone, looking extremely disappointed.

"What's up?" I ask worriedly.

The raven sighs, "That was the cosplayer. He suddenly fell ill, and there's not enough time for a replacement..."

My shoulders sink, "Oh no…"

"I mean, I get a full refund and all but…" he looks towards Psyche's room upstairs, "Oh, Shizu-chan…she'll be so heartbroken…."

I nod solemnly, trying to be reassuring, "Don't worry – everything will be fine, Izaya."

"I know, I know, it's just that…"

His voice trailed off. One thing about being a parent is that you never want to see your kids upset. The fact that Psyche is so pumped for a big surprise that won't even happen is tearing both of us up.

"Daaaaaaaddy…!" Psyche calls from upstairs, "It's ready!"

"Alright!" I yell back, glancing at the informant one more time, "I'll figure something out, Izaya – I promise."

"Well, if you can find another Pikachu cosplayer by tomorrow, then be my guest."

I heave a sigh, but then…an idea suddenly dawns on me.

"Um…actually…" I say, quickly motioning towards the door, "I'll be back!"

Izaya sputters, rising from his chair to follow me, "W-Wait, wait, Shizu-chan, w-where are you going?!"

"Daddy!" Psyche rushes down the stairs, "Daddy, come on!"

I turn around and beam at her, "Daddy has to go out for a bit, okay?"

She whines, stomping her foot a little, "But Daddy, you said you'd play Pikachu with me!"

Izaya pets her head, "Don't worry, sweetie – Mommy'll play with you. Daddy has to run an…errand, I suppose."

"Yup~" I reply, kissing Izaya and Psyche before stepping out.

Later that evening…

Izaya's POV

"Alright, sweetie. You all snug?" I whisper, kissing my daughter on her forehead. She nods quietly, squeezing one of her many Pikachu plushies tightly.

"Is Daddy coming back?" she asks. I nod in response.

"Of course he is," I say, "Daddy should be back late tonight, it seems."

"Oh…he won't miss my birthday party, will he Mommy?"

"No, of course not! Daddy wouldn't miss it for the world," I tell her, "Tomorrow we'll go out for your party, and you'll see me, Daddy, Uncle Shinra and Aunt Celty, Walker, Erika, all your friends from school-"

"And Pikachu, too?" she grins.

I giggle, "Especially Pikachu."

"Oh! And I'll also get to see the surprise, right Mommy?!"

I can't help but feel a twinge in my heart, but I try not to let it show.

"Mm-hmm," is all I can say before kissing her again and getting up to turn out the light.

"Goodnight, Mommy," she says sleepily, "I love you."

"Night-Night, sweetie. I love you, too."

The next day…

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY PSYCHE!" we all shout as she blows out her candles on her Pikachu-themed birthday cake, clapping and cheering for more great years of her young life to come. All attention is on her as she enjoys one of her best birthday parties in the park. She's smiling from ear to ear, especially from her presents. Shinra and Celty gave her a Pikachu necklace with a matching charm bracelet, from Walker, a Pikachu controller for her N64, and from Erika, a Pikachu beanie hat. More fun is to come as we hang up the Pikachu piñata on a nearby tree, allowing Psyche and her classmates a chance to bust it open revealing all the sweets and candy inside. Honestly, I'm using this as a distraction to figure out where the hell Shizu-chan is. Psyche was already disappointed this morning that she learned he didn't come home last night, so the last thing that needs to happen is for him to not show up.

I hear a loud crackling sound and turn around to see the piñata broken in pieces, kids scrambling for the treats spilling out of it.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Psyche runs up to me, beaming with a full goody bag in hand, "Is Daddy here yet? Is he?"

I shake my head, trying to reassure her, "N-Not yet, dear, but he will. I promise~!"

She looks down towards the grass in sadness, shuffling her feet, "I…I don't want Daddy to miss the big surprise you guys got for me…"

I'm torn. Not only is there no "big surprise", but her father is extremely late to her party. I sigh, gently gripping her arms.

"Listen, sweetie…" I start softly, "There's something I should-"

"PSYCHE, LOOK WHO'S HERE!" Shinra suddenly yells, pointing towards the street. Psyche and I look at each other with raised eyebrows before turning our heads in that direction, seeing Shizu-chan, dressed in a head-to-toe Pikachu cosplay costume, holding a Pokèball balloon. Psyche immediately breaks into fits of laughter and runs to her father. Shizu-chan lifts her up into the air, happily kissing her on her nose.

"Daddy, you made it! You made it!" she squeals in between giggles.

Shizu-chan laughs with her, giving her another huge kiss on her cheek, "Happy Birthday, Psyche~! Do you like your big surprise?!"

"I LOVE my surprise, Daddy!" she exclaims as the blonde carries her over to me, "Mommy, Daddy's a big Pikachu~! This is the best birthday ever!"

I can hardly get over it myself…I guess he meant it when he said he'd take care of it.

"U-Uh…" I stutter, "I…I…yes, P-Psyche, here's your surprise! Ta-da~!"

Psyche laughs and hugs her father tighter while the other children rush over to him to play.

"S-Shizu-chan," I start trying to find the rest of my words, "H-How did you-"

"I went out and picked this up late last night," he explains, putting Psyche down on the grass and tying the balloon on her wrist, "I spent the night at Shinra's and got dressed up there to surprise both of you. Pretty clever, huh?"

I smirk, "Sure…"

Suddenly, his eyes glow, and he bends down to whisper something to the kids, popping back up with a sly expression.

"Hey, guys!" Psyche shouts, "Who wants to see my Pikachu do a Thundershock?!"

"YYYYYAAAAAAAAYYYYYY…!" they all scream in excitement.

I try to ask what Shizu-chan was planning, but before I know it, he grabs me, squeezing me tightly as he lifts me up off the ground.

"S-Shizu-chan! What are you doing?!" I yell.

"DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT…!" the kids chant, and suddenly, a constant rush of stinging vibrations runs through my veins, making me squeal and shudder like never before. After what seems like an eternity, he finally puts me down and the stinging stops.

"HURRAAAAAAAAYYYY!"

I glare at him as he holds up a shock buzzer on each of his hands.

"What can I say? They came with the suit~"

Again, so so sorry I've been away for some time now! I've been having massive amounts of Writer's Block, not to mention the Summer Assignments my classes piled on me. I'll try my very best to be better at writing fanfics, because this is the last one from my summer break. I'll try to do some updates on my other stories as well, so in the meantime, please review~!

Fun Fact: the word "Pikachu" is used about 47 times in the story. X3