Author's Note: Light sexual content.

"How the hell..?"

Chihiro sat on the edge of her couch, head in her hands. There was a low pounding in her ears and on the side of her head. Her face was scrunched up as if she was about to cry, but as horrible as she felt, tears wouldn't come.

"Dammit." Chihiro gripped her hair in her hands and resisted the urge to scream. "What am I going to do?"

Her front door was opened and Izaya unceremoniously walked in with his customary smile; it fell from his face seeing her glare.

"Chi-chan?" Izaya half smiled. "What's with that look? I thought you'd be used to me coming in by now. You're the one who gave me a key in the first place."

Chihiro sighed and glared at the ground. "Izaya, this is the worst possible time. Please, I am begging you, leave."

"Chi-chan, couples have to lean on each other in times of crisis." Izaya said patiently; he seemed to regard this situation like a novelty game. He sat down next to her and tried to put an arm around her shoulders; Chihiro shrugged him off.

"I mean it Izaya." she warned. "Nothing you can say can make this better. I need some time alone to think."

Izaya frowned. "That's some way to treat your boyfriend. I thought you promised to be more honest with me?"

"I lost my job okay?" Chihiro confessed tiredly. "I was late again."

Izaya blinked. "What happened? You're usually a stickler about punctuality."

"I don't know." Chihiro massaged her temple and groaned. "My piece of shit phone's alarm didn't go off, and I missed a really important meeting and when I got there my supervisor told me to pack my shit." she took a deep breath to calm down. "I can't believe it, five years working for them and they practically toss me out the door."

Izaya shrugged leaning back on the couch with a yawn. "I've been telling you to get an upgrade for a year, but you wouldn't listen."

"Yeah, you've been such a big help." Chihiro said through gritted teeth. "If that's all you're going to say, get out. I need to start looking for another job."

"If you're looking for a new job, I know a few positions open." Izaya said nonchalantly; he followed as Chihiro went to her room to get her laptop.

"I've already got some options and if they don't work out, I have savings that should keep me okay for a few months." Chihiro said; she should've kept her mouth shut. Whatever Izaya felt for her, she knew it wouldn't inspire him to be a bit more sensitive and comforting when she needed it. Well, it's not like she wanted his help.

"Have it your way." Izaya stood behind her as she reached for her computer bag on top of the dresser; she had to stretch, but she thought it was a good hiding place in case the apartment was robbed.

"Still so paranoid." Izaya chuckled as Chihiro stood on her tiptoes to get the bag; she huffed and turned around to glare at him.

"You're still here?" Chihiro asked coldly; Izaya just smiled wider. She took note of the genuine glee in his eyes, so different from his usual fake smile, the mask that hid his true emotions. It pissed her off.

"It's cute how you're so stubborn when it come to your independence." Izaya said. "A job from me would guarantee you at least temporary employment, but you insist on struggling out of some misplaced sense of pride. It's kind of pathetic, acting so high and mighty when you lost your job over being tardy-"

Chihiro's slap landed square on his jaw, her breathing harsh. Izaya's fingers went to touch his already reddening skin; he was looking down at her in disbelief.

"You bastard." she was practically growling. "I said leave me alone."

To Chihiro's surprise, Izaya's face broke out into an ecstatic smirk; he picked her up effortlessly and threw her on the bed with a sharp laugh.

"Every now and then you still surprise me." Izaya whispered; he had crawled into the bed and trapped Chihiro under him. She stared up at him, torn between anger and fear at the expression on his face.

Izaya took her hand firmly in his and put it to his cheek. "You know, it's a turn on when you get angry. It's thrilling, your eyes practically burn. It's also funny, you know, cause you're tiny."

"I hate you." Chihiro spit out; Izaya just smiled wider.

"Maybe so, but why does that mean you can't love me too?" Izaya asked; he nuzzled her neck and Chihiro repressed a shiver as she turned away from him.

"Aw don't be like that." Izaya kissed her neck lightly. "That slap hurt. Why don't you kiss it better?"

"Get bent." Chihiro tried to push him off, but she was once again surprised at his strength. She cursed at how someone not much bigger than her could still manage to hold her down.

"Chi-chan, you should know by now getting pissy won't work." Izaya chided playfully. "If anything, it's encouraging me to try harder. No matter how many insults or punches you throw, maybe even partially because of them, I'll keep coming back. It's been that way for two years now."

Chihiro looked at him strangely. "What, are you some sort of masochist? Hmph, that would explain why you keep picking fights with Shizuo."

Izaya's playful aura turned cold and tense; Chihiro shifted uncomfortably as he stared down at her unblinking.

"I don't want you mentioning his name or any other man's while we're together like this." Izaya said quietly.

"O-okay…"

Chihiro felt a different kind of shiver run through her body as Izaya resumed his smile.

"Good. As amusing as it is when you're fussy, you need to understand one thing." Izaya reached under the hem of her shirt, his hand roaming possessively. "I love humans. I don't like sharing them; they're mine to play with and adore. The same goes for you; you can kick and scream and fight all you want, but in the end I expect the same level of loyalty."

Izaya kissed her cheek lightly. "Understand?"

Chihiro nodded slowly.

"Good. I love my kitten when she's cuddly and when she's trying to scratch me." Izaya laid down next to her, Chihiro lying rigidly on her back. "But only with me, you get that right? I guess I shouldn't have teased you though."

Chihiro looked over at him warily. "You really are fucking crazy."

Izaya laughed. "Me? Chi-chan, you know that's not true. I'm just a guy in love, like anyone else. Anyway, I know you don't want a job, but I know this apartment will be hard to afford, even with your savings."

Chihiro decided not to ask how he knew. "So?"

"So…" Izaya looked almost hesitant. "I just rented an apartment a few blocks down; I've been getting a lot of business in Ikebukuro lately."

"Why? You always come over here anyway."

"I know you like your space." Izaya twirled a lock of her hair. "But with circumstances being what they are, I was thinking you could move in. You can watch over the place when I'm gone, rent free. I only ask that you cook for me when I'm there and keep the place clean."

He asked as if she was doing him a huge favor; if anything, Chihiro was expecting more of a catch. Maybe he expected her to refuse or maybe he was actually feeling a bit guilty for making fun of her.

"Alright." Chihiro said. Izaya thought she was going to shake his hand to seal the deal; instead she snuggled up to his side.

"You can move in as soon as you want." Izaya said holding her tightly. She suddenly got the idea he saw her as a giant plush toy half the time.

"Thanks." Chihiro said quietly. "You didn't have to offer. Are you sure?"

"About being able to have my Chi-chan to come home to? The only way I'd be happier is if I came back and you were only wearing an apron." Izaya leaned down for a kiss.

Chihiro rolled her eyes. "Please."

"Thank you for letting me take care of you." Izaya said sincerely. He might have meant it. "You only ever let me do it when we're in bed."

"Izaya, shut up before I change my mind." Chihiro said roughly; he just laughed louder. "This doesn't make me your kept woman or anything."

"How insulting." Izaya said feigning surprise. "I hold you in much higher regard than that. Not that I would refuse sex as payment, but you're humble thanks is enough for me."

"God, you're sounding more and more like Shinra when he talks to Celty." Chihiro retorted

"Don't compare me to that perverted nutcase." Izaya said soberly. "He's one human I'll never get and I'm not sure I want to. He's just plain creepy."

Chihiro refrained from pointing out the hypocrisy of his statement; she gently kissed his jaw. It turned him on almost as much as the slap.

"I'm sorry." she said. "I shouldn't have done that. It was childish, among other things."

"You know this was our first fight as a couple." Izaya said as he rubbed his hand against her thigh; Chihiro moved a bit closer grudgingly. She could never say he didn't please her. "I've always been curious about make up sex, heard it was pretty good. All that tension building up."

Chihiro smiled and rolled on top of him. "Let's see."

Izaya was almost tempted to tell her he had hacked into her phone and disabled her alarm to get her to hit him again; he wasn't a huge fan of the pain, but the aftercare was pretty good in it's own way, not to mention Chihiro would probably feel guilty about it for a while. He'd have leverage.

"It's about time we moved in together." Izaya felt himself grow harder at the thought of Chihiro waiting at their new apartment for him to come home; they could share a bed every night when he was in town. Chihiro would've never agreed if she was able to keep her own place.

"She just needs a little nudge in the right direction."

He could barely think as Chihiro nipped at his jaw while she rode him. "It's pretty hot when she gets angry, but part of me wants to see how fast I can break her."

Chihiro fell asleep almost immediately after her own orgasm, mewing and trembling slightly from doing most of the work; Izaya was still lying wide awake and on the verge of hysterical laughter. She probably insisted on pleasing him first because she felt bad about the slap.

Izaya was a step closer to his goals, one of them making Chihiro understand he was the only person that could really make her happy. She didn't need anything else. He loved her, what more could she want?

"I'll need to convince Chi-chan to let me get her a new phone." Izaya yawned and tried to spoon Chihiro as he felt himself slowly drifting off. "She can't reply to my texts as quickly on this old model."

He supposed it all had more to do with his own happiness and desires than Chihiro's, but she was clearly in love with him; wasn't part of being in love about sacrifice and putting your happiness second?