A/N: ¡Hola, chicos y chicas! ¿Cómo estas? YO ESTOY MUY MUY BIEN y… hyper. *Jumps up and down* I just ate a huge chocolate bar. Anyways, in response to a few reviews, I wrote 'ciaossu' on purpose. I know it's just ciao ^^ I wanted to make a KHR reference because I luv it. Ay. And yes, reviews give me motivation! How did you know? Lulz. So like… semester two is beginning… and I have such hard subjects T.T. Isn't that great? I'm going to fail! (someone in background: *cough* no one cares about your problems *cough*) .. =3= Eh whatever. Here is chapter twelve! Thank you for your continuous support! *heart* You guys make this possible! SHUNNNNNNNNNNNNN! SHUN THE NON-REVIEWERS, SHUNNNNN! That was a Charlie the unicorn reference in case you didn't get it.
{DISCLAIMER} Durarara! does not belong to me. But Beast does, so don't try usin' him in one of yo' fics. *nico*⌒( ̄▽ ̄)ノ


Lithium

By Forsythia Sky

Chapter Twelve


"Make yourselves at home," Shinra says happily, as we enter his domain.

I nod. "Where should I put him?"

Despite all of Izaya's protests about being 'fine' and 'alright', the flea was actually physically expended. Halfway through our trip back, his usually incessant blabbering had become winded and eventually, it slowly trailed off into silence. He had fallen asleep on my back.

[Follow me] Celty says with a grim expression. She leads me into a hallway and into the room to our immediate right. The place is decent, with a large comfy looking bed and a window. Unfortunately, there isn't a bathroom.

[This is our guestroom. Just put Izaya down on the bed; Shinra will come in to check on him and make sure he's alright]

I nod, reaching around to pull Izaya by the waist and lower him to the mattress. His eyelids don't even flutter as his body hits the surface. A sheen of sweat lines his pale throat.

"Celty…" I say, before the young girl can leave the room. She looks at me questioningly.

"What's wrong with him?"

Celty bites her lip, not meeting my gaze. She brushes back a few strands of dark hair away from Izaya's face in an almost tender fashion. Her lashes lowered, casting shadows on her cheeks, strands of auburn hair shifting down to block her from my view. She starts typing again, her fingers flying over the keys. [He always acts like he's so strong, doesn't he?] She muses, looking down at him with a sort of fondness. [But he's not as good of an actor as he thinks.]

I wait, unsure of what she's getting at.

[But it's not up to me to tell you. Izaya will tell you when he's ready. He's got too much pride for his own good.]

I growl in frustrated understanding. Stupid flea. "Kida said the same thing."

How is it fair that he knows everything there is to know about me, but not me, him? Granted, I'm not the one who told him about my condition, but he knows nonetheless.

What could possibly be the reason for him to hide it? I'm not in much of a position to discriminate. I feel the beginnings of a headache, as I stare at Izaya's unconscious form. Celty gives me a soft pat on the shoulder along with a reassuring smile. She tugs me out of the room along with her and Izaya is left alone in the dim room. I want to turn back, but I don't. Beast slips out behind me, abandoning his silent vigil from next to his proclaimed mother.


Ugh… why me?

I lay on the couch feeling extremely put off. My long legs hang over the other end slightly and Beast takes up some of the room above my head.

I knew nothing good would come with owning a dog. What was Kasuka thinking?

"Sorry, Shizuo," Shinra apologizes meekly, throwing a thin blanket over my body before walking off.

"Doesn't matter," I grumble, even though it kind of does. The light blue blanket barely reaches to my knees. I try stretching it a little further; it's a futile effort, really, and I end up ripping the fabric in half. The tearing sound makes Shinra pop his head back into the living room curiously and he makes a face.

"What?" I snap, pissed off at the world.

The young doctor flinches and I feel bad for being so harsh. Sighing, I say, "Sorry, I just… couldn't control my strength, you know?" That's not entirely true. I just felt like ripping it.

What he doesn't know can't hurt him.

Or so they say.

At this moment, Izaya stumbles out of the guest room looking tired and exhausted, reminding me why I'm on the couch in the first place. I sit up, giving him a once over with my blurred vision. Beast magically wakes up (it's like he has some sort of flea-alarm built into his brain) and barrels into Izaya. Said flea picks him up with a weak smile. "Did you miss mommy that much?" he coos.

"Izaya, you should be in bed," Shinra scolds with his hands on his hips, though, his eyes widen a little at the term 'mommy'.

"The room is too cold," Izaya says dramatically, moving to flop down on the couch next to me. I nearly reel back in surprise when he drops his head on my shoulder, his hand calmly stroking Beast's flank.

I didn't notice the knowing look Shinra sent the sick boy.

Shinra bids us goodnight with a sly smile that sends an odd shudder through my spine. I turn to Izaya, whose dark hair is the only thing visible to me at the moment.

"Go back to bed," I tell him, trying to sound cold when I'm actually feeling warm. "I want to sleep."

"Just… give me a few moments," Izaya whispers back and his tone startles me. He sounds broken and worn. It shocks me into a meek silence.

The large porch door in front of us gives us a generous view of the nighttime skies. A shining trail of a star shoots across the wide expanse, only to be demolished by a dark looming cloud. The moon glances at us for a brief moment before being swallowed once again. I think I see a sliver of her pale cheek peeking through but I can't be sure. My eyes— eye, are forever playing tricks on me.

I look down at Izaya's head, his hair looking almost grey in places where it sheens.

I wonder to myself, what are we doing?

Why am I not moving away?

And most of all... Why does this feel so right?

I see the tip of Beast's golden streaming tail flick back and forth in contentment as Izaya's slender fingers work through his fur.

I turn back to the window. Why should I deny myself a little contentment in the midst of all this disappointment?

It's only been about fifteen minutes, but it feels so much longer. I find it so odd that the flea is so quiet. Worried, I murmur, "Izaya, come on, get up. Go sleep."

He's motionless, silent. And it stirs panic within my heart.

From this angle, I can't see the rise and fall of his chest. "Hey, Izaya…?" I take him by the shoulders and he flops limply down into the crook of my other arm. I thank God that he's just sleeping when I lean in to hear his steady breathing. I carry him, for the third time, in my arms bridal style and drop him onto the large, soft bed. His small body sinks into the soft covers and he instinctively curls around them. Giving him one last look, I prepare to make my way out of the room and back to my uncomfortable sanctuary when a hand shoots out to grab mine.

Warily, I pivot, prepared to see a smirking Izaya, goading me for being so soft. But when I watch his peaceful face, I know that he's still asleep, thin fingers laced with mine in a surprisingly tight grip. I try prying them off but he whimpers and tugs me closer to him.

I sigh in defeat. Why must he always win?

I stand over him for a moment, staring at our hands. My larger, calloused one is now holding his back in a firm grip. I memorize the feel and how perfectly we fit together.

I'll just stay for a little bit. I'll go back to the couch after he lets go.

That's what I thought to myself, as I lightly shifted his body to make room for mine. Carefully, I lay down next to him with a berth of space between us. I resist the urge to stuff a pillow there for good measure.

I shift until I'm comfortable, and I lay on my back. I can only barely make out Izaya's still form in the dark room, his pale face only slightly visible as his head is tilted to face me.

'Just a little longer', I had told myself, 'just until he wants to let go.'

But he never did.

And so, that was the first night Izaya and I slept together.


A/N: Eek, sorry for the short chapter, I'm being incredibly lazy these days. I just did some of my homework, and I'm going to do the rest now. As usual, review if you don't want to see this story die! Ta ta for now, friends! And thank you for all the lovely comments that I got for chapter eleven. I was so pleased that I just had to write chapter twelve now~! See? Reviews really do pay off. By the way just in advance: by the end of the story, I'll be erasing all the previous ANs and extra stuff; they're only necessary now, since I need to talk to you guys (in order to stay sane).
- S2 -Thia