A/N: Holy crackers. I've left this thing hanging for almost 9 fat months.

But, well, there was the schoolwork on top of that, which hit and is still hitting my classmates and I like a solid brick wall this year. And there were other things.

Buuuuuuuuuut hopefully that's all behind me now (not the school work, there will ALWAYS be more work T_T) and I can get back to updating this story. A lot has happened to me in those 9 months so it might have affected my writing, but I still hope you enjoy this chapter. ^.^

Before uploading this chapter, I read your reviews and waaaaaasfdljadksf hjdsa;k despite those wonderful words you all gave me, all I can really say is to please accept my profuse apologies for this atrociously late chapter and that I appreciated every review from the bottom of my heart. ;_; Thank you


Shizuo leaned against the doorway, his arms crossed awkwardly. "Mairu and Kururi are going to be devastated." He joked feebly as Kasuka folded his shirts. "You sure you don't need any help with that?"

"It's okay. And as for the girls, they are still sleeping, no?"

"Like logs..." Shizuo checked his watch. "At this hour, too... teenagers." He glanced up back at his brother. "Sorry for keeping you here so long." He mumbled out as Kasuka straightened up from the last of his packing.

Kasuka shook his head. "It's fine. After all, I haven't been able to stay with you like this for a long time."

Shizuo smiled sheepishly. "That's true... With your work, it can't be helped, right?"

"Right." His younger brother picked up his suitcase. There was a short silence between the two siblings before Kasuka gave a regretful shrug. "Well, the car's waiting."

Shizuo nodded and pushed himself out of the doorway, allowing Kasuka to pass. "Hey, Kasuka?"

"Yes?"

"...Er... I know that this hasn't exactly been the most nic- er, smoothest, um, most pleasant visit..." The blond began haltingly as he followed Kasuka through the living room. "But... you're still welcome to come back anytime, you know that, right?"

Kasuka paused abruptly, causing his older sibling to nearly stumble into him. "Wh-whoa-"

"Nii-san." Shizuo looked up to see a tiny, almost exasperated smile on Kasuka's face. "What makes you think I would not want to?"

"..."

"..."

"...uh-"

"Don't say it." Kasuka promptly interrupted, giving a small sigh. "Do not worry, Nii-san. You'll always be my older brother... no matter what... experiences you undergo after Izaya-san recovers-"

Shizuo turned bright red. "W-WAIT WH-WH-WH-WHAT ARE YOU- E-EXPERIENCES-"

"So glad to hear that!" The said man called loudly over Shizuo's sputters.

"I-Izaya?" The blond turned his attention to the flea quickly. "Wh-why are you here? I mean... ...Wait a minute... HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET OVER HERE?"

"...it's called crutches, Shizu-chan..." Izaya said slowly, waving a crutch in the air as proof. "I can at least do that now. Anyway..." He turned toward Kasuka. "I heard Kasuka-kun was leaving..."

"...yes..."

"..."

Another elephant of awkwardness trudged around the room before Izaya cleared his throat and held out his hand warily, leaning his arm on his crutch. "Listen... I know that you and I hadn't gotten off at a good start... and we did end up becoming a little... competitive with each other... but I really am glad to have met you, Kasuka-kun. You're not a bad guy."

After a few tense seconds, Kasuka shook the informant's hand obligingly. "Neither are you. Despite everything that has... happened between us, I am grateful that my brother has found someone like you. Please continue to take care of him."

Izaya's eyes widened his mouth falling slightly open in surprise. "...Uh... y-yeah..." He nodded dumbly, returning his hand to his crutch.

Kasuka observed him quietly. "...considering your current physical state, I should actually say that my brother takes care of you. Oh well. Ah. Also..." The actor raised a threatening finger at Izaya. "Damage or humiliate him too much and I will not hesitate to put an end to it. Permanently..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Izaya smiled sweetly. "Shouldn't Kasuka-kun be leaving about now?"

"When he proposes," Kasuka said to Shizuo, "let me know. I'll send a sympathy card."

"Ahahahahahahahaha!" Izaya gave a very loud, forced laugh. "Oh, how funny Kasuka-kun is."

"..." Shizuo promptly face-palmed, knowing then and there that the peace between those two would... well, it just wouldn't exist.

...It could be worst, it could be worst, it could be worst.


Five minutes later, when Kasuka's limo had disappeared from in the afternoon traffic, the blond watched his boyfriend skipping crazily across the room singing Love and Joy by Kimura Yuki for "no apparent reason" (according to Izaya).

Shizuo admitted he laughed rather wickedly when Izaya accidentally hit himself in the crotch with a crutch.


Three hours later, in which the twins wake up (why they slept so long, no one really knows) and throw a rather spectacular tantrum at Kasuka's disappearance and accuse their brother of secretly murdering "Yuuhei" several times

"What?" Shizuo blinked, scratching his head. "You guys are leaving too?"

"Of course!" Mairu hugged Shizuo tightly before letting go and skipping around him. "We love you a lot, Shizuo-san, but now that Yuuhei has gone, I don't think we can bear Iza-nii's attitude anymore..." She gave a small pout. "I can't believe Yuuhei didn't say goodbye to us! After all we've been through! And he is actually happy about it!"

Behind her, Kururi wordlessly pointed a finger at Izaya, who was now singing the first opening of "Full Moon" at the top of his lungs.

Shizuo raised an eyebrow. "...so you're saying you're going to be leaving me alone with that... thing?"

"AII RABU YUU NO KOTOBA NARA IERUUUUUUU~~~~-"

The younger twin giggled. "Yes! Yes, we are! But you know that Iza-nii loves you to bits, and it's really cute!"

"I don't know about cute..." Shizuo muttered, watching Izaya wave his crutches wildly around the room. "...At this rate, he's going to break all the bones he hasn't already broken. Hey, Izaya? Your sisters are leaving! Izaya? IZAYA!"

Izaya paused, his expression delighted. "Oh, really? How wonderf- I-I mean," he hastily coughed. "Mairu, Kururi, al-already?"

"...nii... bad... actor..."

"Bleh!" Mairu stuck her tongue at him. "We should have known better than to expect a proper goodbye from you, Iza-nii! Shizuo-san, don't take too good care of him! We'll miss YOU! ...but not Iza-nii. He can go get trampled by a giant two-headed lizard."

"And you say I lack empathy!" Izaya snorted, whacking his leg cast with his arm cast. "Has the puffer fish incident completely disappeared from your minds-"

"BYE SHIZUO-SAN! WE LOVE YOU~!" Mairu interrupted loudly, giving Shizuo another hug.

"Again... (We'll see you again)" Kururi added, bowing slightly before Mairu pulled her out of the door.

"H-hey wait are you sure you guys will be okay walking to the station alone-" SLAM! Shizuo blinked. "Ah. They're fast."

"No need to concern yourself so much." Izaya remarked nonchalantly. "They're my siblings, after all and NOW, THEY'RE GONE~~~~~!"

The blond eyed the injured informant. "Precisely what worries me."


Several more hours later, after the twins' departure. Izaya's happiness is such that he has now resorted to singing about unicorns and fairies.

"OOOH I LOVE UNICORNS! EVEN THOUGH THEY PROBABLY POOP A LOT AND ARE A PAIN TO TAKE CAAAARE OFFFFFFFFF-"

"...flea..."

"BUT THAT DOES NOT MATTER ANY MORE BECAUSE UNICORNS ARE JUST SO BEAUTIFUL BECAUSE THEY DON'T EXISSSSSTTTTT-"'

"Flea!"

"AND THEY CHOPPED OFF THE FAIRIES' ARMS AND GOBBLED THEIR EGGS FOR DINNER-"

" FLEA!"

"...hm?"

"Can you at least TRY to be not so ecstatically happy?"

"Why, you're not?"

"...no. Not really." Shizuo ran a hand through his hair tiredly. "Please just... just stop singing. Okay?"

"But it's such a nice day!" Izaya protested, waving his crutch to the window. "With such joyous weather, how can you not feel like bursting out in song, Shizu-chan?"

"Flea, I think that puffer fish poisoned your brain, too. IT'S FUCKING RAINING!" Shizuo raged, his thumb jerking to the window. "...I hope Mairu and Kururi-chan didn't get caught it in..." He added worriedly.

"It is?" Izaya tilted his head. "...oh. It is. Well, who said storms can't be joyous weather? LALAHAHAHAAAAAAA!"

The blond pinched the bridge of his nose wearily. "Just stop singing! Please? I'll give you candy."

"You will?" Izaya perked up hopefully, then scowled in indignation. "...wait a minute, Shizu-chan, you're trying to bribe me like a three-year old! I am not a three year old!"

"Sure doesn't stop you from acting like one." Shizuo muttered grumpily.

"LALALALALALALALALALA-"

"SEE? EXACTLY WHAT I MEAN-"

"LALALALALALALALLALA LA... LAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

"Izaya, seriously, cut it out!"

"LALALLALLALALA-"

"I... I'll give you otoro! ...you'll have to pay for it though..."

"LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

"I'll give you a kiss!"

"LAAAA- hang on." The informant whipped his head back to Shizuo. "You'll give me what?"

"..." Realization dawning on him, the blond blushed furiously. "I... I... er..." Looking distractedly around the room for a solution, Shizuo found one. "A kiss!" He said hastily, practically pelting the informant with the chocolate that just happened to be on his table.

The foil-covered sweet bounced off of Izaya's shocked forehead. "EHHHHHHHHHHHHH-"

"GOTCHA!" The blond yelled, hurriedly scooting away from his boyfriend.

"SHIZU-CHAAAAAAAAAN!" Izaya whined annoyingly, dragging himself closer to Shizuo. "THAT DOESN'T COUNT! HEY WAIT! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" The former bartender had actually gotten up and was fleeing the room.

"AWAY FROM YOU, YOU CRAZY NUT! AT THIS RATE, YOU'LL END UP RAPING ME!"

"DON'T YOU DARE RUN AWAY FROM ME, SHIZU-CHAN! FACE ME LIKE A UKE-"

"THE FUCK FLEA? THAT'S IT! I'M LOCKING YOU IN HERE!" Shizuo screamed, slamming the door shut behind him.

"You say you'll lock me in now, Shizu-chan, but come nightfall, you will fall to temptation, and, unresistingly, open the door, to me and the chocolate-"

"GRAAAAAAAAAAH!" The blond didn't know whether the yell resulted from a need to block out Izaya's words or his own frustration. "I'M BOLTING IT, IZAYA!"

"Oh calm down, Shizu-chan," Izaya called out, his voice wheedling. "I still have several broken limbs and a seriously deflated ego, how would I be able to rape y-"

"With that fucked-up mind of yours, you'll somehow end up forcing me into it psychologically!"

"Psh don't be ridiculous, I don't need to do that, you sleep with me of your own acc-"

"IZAYA!" Shizuo practically yelped, his face bright red.

"What?"

"Don't talk about that... that kind of shit so nonchalantly!"

"Awww, no need to be embarrassed my dear little Shizu-chan, it's only me-"

"SHUT UP!"

"Heehee it's so cute how Shizu-chan can get embarrassed so easily! Is this the same man who pulled me down to bed while his brother was in the same house-"

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH WHY DO YOU BRING UP THAT TIME?"

"Haha see, you don't even try to deny it, Shi-OWWWWWWWWWWW!"

The sudden exclamation of pain made Shizuo pause. "...Izaya?" He called tentatively, wondering if the informant had accidentally whacked his leg (or arm) against something. "H-hey, Izaya, what happened?"

"Ah, just hit banged my arm." Izaya replied from the other side of the door. "No big deal-" He choked and suddenly cursed quietly. Nut sprigs! Why hadn't he exaggerated his pain so Shizuo would feel bad and come back into the room?

However, the mere mention of Izaya's pain set Shizuo into a panic. "Oh crap crap crap crap crap crap crap-" The blond frantically fumbled with the door, only to realize he had locked it. "CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP GAH IZAYA IZAYA IZAYA IZAYA!" Shizuo ended up opening the door with such force that he nearly crashed into the informant, knocking Izaya down. "AGH!"

"...ouch..."

"S-sorry, flea."

"Nah, nah, I'm still alive." Izaya reassured as Shizuo helped him up. "But that should teach you never to leave a poor, sick, deprived man such as myself alone, Shizu-chan!" He added, giving his boyfriend a mischievous wink.

Shizuo sullenly averted his gaze as he handed Izaya back his crutch. "O... okay, maybe I was overreacting a little in locking myself in the next room..."

"..."

"...well, maybe I was overreacting a little in celebrating Kasuka-kun's and the twins' departure." Izaya admitted reluctantly. "It's not like I hate them..."

Shizuo scratched his head awkwardly. "Somehow, I'm a little sad. The house will seem so quiet now..."

The black-haired man chuckled, lifting his bandaged hand to Shizuo's face. "I'm too boring for you in this state?"

"A-ah-" The blond hastily covered Izaya's hand with his own, flustered. "N-no, I didn't mean that." His blush deepened and his fingers tightened slightly around the pale fingers. "I really didn't mean that... at all.

Carefully balancing on his crutches, Izaya leaned over and kissed the blond's cheek. "I know you didn't." He laughed quietly, but flinched as another throb of pain passed through his arm. "Ow."

Shizuo sighed and patted Izaya's head. "Poor flea. I think you suffered enough damage for one day. ...Or pretty much the last three days, come to think about it. How about you just rest now?"

"Oho?" Izaya raised an eyebrow as he hopped slowly across the room. "My tsundere wife is so soft now..."

"Oi, oi, there's a limit to how tsundere I can be when you're injured like that..." Shizuo muttered, letting go of Izaya's hand so he could maneuver the crutches properly.

"I'm not complaining!" Izaya chirped cheerfully. "I'll go ahead and rest if Shizu-chan'll make dinner for me~"

"Tch. Like you give me any choice, flea."


The next morning...

Shizuo woke up first, his body slightly sore after being kept in such a stiff position (Shizuo didn't want to end up hurting Izaya more in his sleep).

Turning on his side so he could see Izaya properly, the blond spent a few lazy minutes simply staring at Izaya's face, his fingers stroking the informant's cheek a couple times. Even though Shizuo would die before he would admit it out loud, Izaya was so cute sleeping, his arm stretched crookedly towards where Shizuo's head had been-

...wait a minute. Izaya's arm was broken. So... how could he have it in such a position?

His eyes swelled in disbelief, Shizuo warily poked Izaya's arm a couple times. When the flea did not wake up screaming in agony, the blond hastily shook Izaya's shoulder. "Izaya? Hey, Izaya!"

"Mmmm?" The informant opened one eye lazily, smiling when he saw Shizuo. "Hey, Shizu-chan..." He started to move his arm gingerly across the bed but suddenly stopped, his eyes immediately reflecting Shizuo's consternation.

"Wha..." Izaya jerked his head toward his arm and flexed it several times. "What the..." His mouth dropped open. "Huh?" He promptly flung back the bed covers with his new found strength, revealing bent legs that couldn't possibly be broken either. "Eh?" He cautiously lifted one leg.

Izaya slowly turned to Shizuo, his mouth still hanging open. "I... I can move again?"

"...uh." Was all Shizuo could say.

By some miracle, Izaya's broken bones had healed. The two men gawked at each other, seeing but not believing.

"How... the hell?"


...yeah this chapter was just random crap. BLRAAAAAAARGHHHHHHHH

Ah, and "nut sprigs"... I don't know where that came from, I was tearing my room down looking for something when those words popped out instead of the usual... ah well. Cookies for whoever makes the best guess about what caused Izaya's unexpected recovery! ^O^