"Nakura-san?" the barista called for the third time.

"Oh. Yes." Izaya took his coffee and immediately made for the door, routine jingle ringing above his head.

"…Izaya."

It made him halt in his tracks for a moment. Then he stepped outside and walked to the street corner, trying to keep his voice low and away from curious ears.

"Shinra says you're doing better."

"That's what he told me." A wet cough. "I don't feel much better, though." It was true; Shizuo felt no better than when he'd first spiked his fever.

"It's how getting sick works sometimes."

It came out almost like a lecture, from parent to child, but amazing that they were actually managing to carry a fairly normal conversation otherwise. They both hated it. There was a prolonged pause as Izaya walked the crosswalk briskly, almost breaking into a run when he reached the curb.

"…Shinra keeps trying to get me to come visit you."

"Can we stop talking about Shinra?" Because so far, the conversation has been 'Shinra said this, Shinra did that'. Shinra gaped and huffed on Shizuo's end, then crossed his arms and left the room.

"Any other topics up for discussion, then? Meteorology, medieval Japanese literature, quantum physics, string theory–"

"Izaya–"

"But you probably wouldn't understand any of that. It'd just be me talking, and that's no fun–"

"Izaya–"

"Or we could make small talk! How's the weather over there?"

"Can I get something in–"

"What, Shizu-chan?" Tears pricked at his eyes, illuminating carmine. "What do you have to say to me? Are you going to apologize for all those signs to the shoulder, vending machines to the head, the medical expenses? Shinra may be my friend but he's not free. Hey, maybe if I break all my bones repeatedly like you used to, I could end up just as strong as you! Oh- or are you sorry for fucking me senseless while intoxicated out of yours—"

"If I could just explain–"

"–because if it's anyone who should be apologizing–"

A rush of wind before him made him stumble backward and almost fall. In the heat of the moment Izaya hadn't watched where he was going and had almost walked straight into oncoming traffic. He managed to catch his coffee cup before it met its end on the pavement. When he could finally hear the other line over honking cars, Shizuo was coughing loudly. The light turned green, and Izaya dashed for the other side, breathing heavily and coughing when he reached it.

Izaya stared at the phone for a few seconds. Shizuo was waiting on the other end, but Shinra's name was bright on the screen: "connected." The press of a button, and it changed to "call ended."

The dial tone sounded like a solemn, heavy roar in Shizuo's ears.

Izaya kept walking.

will he be happy

The string was only a few inches long now, but Shizuo didn't mind anymore. Izaya would either come to see him or not, and that was fine. Shizuo set Shinra's phone down on the bedside table and stared out at the primrose, catching the warm glow of early sunset.

The thought of those crimson eyes beneath the moonlight ate him away.

Shinra closed the door behind him and made his way to the living room, where Celty was waiting on the sofa.

[How did it go?]

The doctor shook his head. "I don't know. I gave them their privacy. But it was weird." At that, Celty cocked her neck in inquiry. "They were civil. Normal."

[Maybe things will get better between them?]

He shrugged. "Who's to say? They're a strange pair, those two. All I know is, it won't be quite the same after this. After Shizuo recovers."

[How is he, then?]

"Better than ever. His fever's almost completely broken and the coughing is next to nonexistent. I'm still curious as to what it was that made him sick… But whatever. I still have some samples, so I can send them to Yagiri-san for analysis." Shinra smiled, stretching in his lab coat.

[You mean you never found out what the virus was?]

"It could have been a virus, a bacteria, a parasite, poisonous plant, spoiled food for all I know." His hand came to rest at his chin in speculation as he fell back on the sofa next to Celty. "Shizuo continues to be a medical phenomenon."

She turned on the television and game system, glad that Shizuo was doing alright and calling silently for a celebration. Handing him a controller and muting the television for now, she showed him the PDA.

[And Izaya?]

"I saw him hanging around outside the window yesterday. I think he's a bit at war with himself right now. You know, conflicted feelings?"

[I know them.] Celty reached over to pinch his cheek playfully. Kadota's crowd would call her a 'tsundere'. But it was one of the infinite things he loved about her. No matter how many fights they shared, no matter what obstacles came their way, Celty never failed to show him how much she truly loved the poor fool in the end.

Together.

Forever together.

[We visited Heiwajima-san today!~ (*≧▽≦) ]

Izaya paled at the text message from Kururi. Reaching another street corner and sniffling loudly, he typed out a reply.

[And why should I care?]

[So glad you asked— HE PROMISED WE COULD MEET YUUYUU-KUN! Ｏ( ≧∇≦)Ｏ Ｏ(≧∇≦ )Ｏ]

The informant grimaced at the sickening nickname, all caps and emoticons, and sighed. The light in front of him was telling him to go, but his feet were only planted in its direction: Shinjuku. Pedestrians passed him by without a second thought to his hesitation.

[Did he now? Were those his exact words?]

[Yupyup!~ (￣▽￣)ノ＿彡 バンバン！! Heiwajima-san is so so nice, love love!~]

[I doubt that, Kuru-chan.]

[Waaaaaah, Iza-nii is so mean! ⌒(＞。≪)イタイ Not at all like Shizu-nii~ ε-(´・｀) ﾌｰ ]

Izaya blinked rapidly, unaware of how his feet were slowly shifting themselves to the other crossing.

[SHIZU-NII?]

[If you're not careful, we'll have him adopt us!~ 仲良し(*･∀･)／ ＼(･∀･*)だよ When Iza-nii can't even remember his promises…~]

Izaya looked up, seeing that he was facing a new direction. The crosswalk light turned green. His grip on the coffee cup tightened, and, closing the phone and ending the conversation, Izaya decided to cross.

Thanks for sticking around, readers! Rabu rabu~