Disclaimer: This is a fan based fiction.
Author Notes: Thank you thank you thank you(!) for all reviews, favorites and follows! You guys seriously make my day! Writing is so rewarding, especially when you know it's appreciated! Please keep it coming!
Please feel free to follow me on Tumblr! My link is in my bio. Update for my SNK story coming soon and I've also got a new DRRR fic in the works so stay tuned.
Anyway, it's finally Shizuo's time to shine! (Kind of...) Please enjoy!
Tamina's eyelids started to flutter open. It was a strange sensation for her. As if she'd just woken from a long dream. Her memory of where she was and how she'd gotten there was hazy. When her vision finally came back to her she stared up at an ominous gray sky. She felt the taps of a soft drizzle starting to hit her face which spiked her attention all the more. She started to move in an attempt to lift herself off the cold ground but someone firmly held her.
"Hey! Are you alright?" Shizuo asked anxiously. He ignored the growing taps of rain on his head as he held her securely against him. He swiped away the moisture on her face pushing damp wisps of hair that clung to it to the side.
Her dazed eyes still wandered and she was having trouble finding words. She wanted to ask him where she was. She wanted to ask how she had gotten here. But her thoughts were scattered and speech still escaped her at the moment.
"Talk to me." Shizuo said in a pleading tone. He wasn't sure how much more uncertainty he could take. "Are you okay?"
She tried to look around to gain some focus, but there was a splitting ache in her head that interrupted everything. Dizziness and disorientation gripped her. Her surroundings just wouldn't stay steady. "My head..." She finally managed to say, reaching for the throbbing area of her crown.
Shizuo halted her movement. "Don't try to move. Let me see." He insisted. He held her securely in one arm and used his free hand to delicately part her hair where she'd indicated. A sinking feeling came over him when he noticed a deep red soaking the roots of her hair there. Upon further careful examination he stifled a gasp. She had a rather lengthy split in her scalp. He couldn't tell how deep, but he knew it certainly demanded immediate attention.
"Am I okay?" Tamina asked softly, resting her eyes to ease her dizziness.
Shizuo hesitated. It looked pretty serious to him, but he didn't want to scare her. "You're...hurt." He admitted, unbuttoning his vest and shimmying out of it. "But it's okay. I'm gonna get you help." He bundled it up and placed it on the wound carefully. Thankfully she wasn't bleeding too excessively, but he wanted to prevent any more.
"Do...I need a hospital?" She huffed, finally gaining enough sense to be somewhat worried for herself.
"I have a friend that's close." He told her, bringing his phone to his ear. "It'll be faster."
Everything was still a blur. There was urgency, she knew, but the fog of dizziness and fatigue made everything sluggish and delayed. Again, she tried to pull away and steady herself, pressing a hand against him. The pattering of rain all around them seemed to amplify the throbbing in her brain. The long narrow alley they occupied tilted, as if it were a vessel on the rough sea. Her vision panned up and the tall buildings yielded her no more forgiving aesthetics. Everything was warped. Distorted. Shifting.
"Tamina, please stay still." Shizio begged, pinning his phone to his ear with his shoulder to free his hands. He pulled her back against him while his phone dialed out again and again.
She felt a mild relief, resting her head back on his shoulder. Her vision fell to the ground, where she found her smashed phone in the concrete. The glass was shattered and the frame was clearly damaged, but she could see the small slip of paper peeking out of the phone's now obsolete protective case. She reached for it, but her movements were again halted by Shizuo's strong grip. She wanted to protest. Her lips parted, but the world shifted around her again, causing another wave of nausea to come to pass.
'Answer your fucking phone!' Shizuo thought, his brow tight and nervous. He looked down to see Tamina's weak hand reaching for what looked like her completely destroyed cell phone on the ground. "I got it." He assured her to ease her effort, grabbing the annihilated phone and shoving it in his pocket.
Shinra opened the door expectantly and allowed Shizuo to enter the apartment. The girl he carried was conscious but very pale, loosely holding Shizuo's balled up vest to her head. Shizuo rushed down the hall and into the living room so he could place her on the couch. Shinra had already set towels down to cover the couch in case there was a lot of bleeding. He hadn't gotten much information from Shizuo's rushed phone call, but he had heard someone had been struck in the head, so he'd prepared dressings and supplies for possible penetrating injuries and blunt trauma.
Tamina slumped against the back of the couch while the room spun around her. "Can I..." She started weakly. "Can I have some water?" She asked. She felt unbearably dehydrated and hot. She hoped it might relieve the churning in her stomach. There was a heavy feeling that was beginning to creep up her chest.
"I'll get you water in a second." Shizuo assured, still holding her shoulder. "Right now let's get you checked out." He insisted, more concerned about her most obvious injury.
Shinra came to kneel in front of her with his bag. "Nice to meet you, I'm doctor Kishitani." He told her with a warm smile. "You're Kyohei's friend, right?" He asked.
Suddenly Tamina felt her mouth becoming overly salivated, and an urgency building in her throat. The dizziness had finally become too much and she needed relief. Now. She tried to stand but Shizuo's strong hands stopped her again. "Don't get up!" He told her.
Tamina shook her head in protest, covering her mouth with a hand while she tried to get past him. Shizuo looked confused, but Shinra immediately recognized the girls need. He quickly stood and hurried to grab the trash can from the kitchen. He rushed back and placed it in front of her just in time for her to keel over and start to vomit.
Surprised, Shizuo took a step back, giving her space to retch. She heaved again and again, shamelessly losing her lunch, breakfast, and possibly her dinner from the night before. Shinra helped keep her steady while she kept her head buried in the can with sickness. "There you go. Let it out." He told her as he gave a few reassuring pats on the back. "Not to worry." He tried to console warmly when he noticed Shizuo's intense look of concern. "Vomiting is a rather common side effect of a concussion. This is totally normal."
"Stop smiling, you freak." Shizuo growled at him, not at all comforted by that. How could he be so damn cheerful at a time like this?
"How are you feeling now?" Shinra asked when Tamina's sickness finally seemed to cease.
She took her time answering, head still hanging low. Eventually she sat back, breathing a heavy sigh and wiping away the involuntary tears that had stained her face. "Surprisingly better." She admitted, surprised by the sudden relief. Now that the nausea was gone the room was at least still. "But my head hurts." She added, the nagging pain still there.
"Well, I'm sure you have a sizable wound there, so that makes sense." Shinra's words trailed off when he noticed the death glare his statement provoked from Shizuo.
Tamina looked up with concern now, reaching for the wound on her head. "It's that bad..?"
Shizuo quickly grabbed her wrist, stopping her from investigating. "Don't." He insisted. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to scare you. But Shinra's gonna fix it."
"Don't worry!" Shinra said reassuringly. "You're not bleeding too badly, so I'm not extremely concerned. Let me just check you out."
Now that she was aware of it, the throbbing in Tamina's head was even harder. She squinted when Shinra shined a small pen flashlight in her eyes. He observed her pupils dilation and asked. "Can you tell me your name?"
"Tamina Takeda." She responded.
"Good Tamina. Do you know what day it is?" He asked.
"It's Friday."
"Follow this for me." He moved the light slowly back and forth, which she followed with her eyes like he'd told her. "Great!" He said, once done. "Based on your motor functions and ability to talk I'd say it's pretty safe to assume your brain isn't damaged or swelling. So there's that!" He concluded cheerfully.
Tamina gave a small nod at that. She wasn't dying. Indeed, at least there was that. Shizuo, who had remained by her side quietly, finally felt the urgency pass and got up to retrieve the water he remembered she'd asked for.
"Alright," Shinra began pulling gloves on. "Let's have a look at the damage." Tamina leaned toward him hugging her knees as he started to part her hair looking for the wound. He had no trouble finding it, letting out a laugh. "Ah, there it is." It was a long split towards the back of her crown. He used his flashlight to examine the wound further, delicately spreading it with his fingers to estimate it's depth and severity.
"Stitches?" Tamina asked, squinting through the mild discomfort.
"More like staples." Shinra told her. "About eight is my guess, but don't quote me on that." Tamina let out a surprised breath, but Shinra consoled her. "Don't worry. Actually, from a medical perspective it's quite impressive. Rather clean cut. No debris inside. And your skull looks fine too. Completely intact."
"You can see my skull?!" Tamina was startled, the very thought making her uneasy again.
Shinra didn't have to look to know he'd enticed a second unholy glare from Shizuo. He just laughed nervously. "Why don't I get a few more things so we can get you cleaned and closed up." He grabbed a handful of gauze and lightly covered the wound, guiding Tamina's hand to hold them in place. "Sit tight." He told her, then stood and scurried out of the room, sure to travel around the opposite side of the couch as Shizuo.
Shizuo watched him leave irately, then came to sit next to her, offering the water. "Here."
"Thanks." She replied, taking a long drink. When she was done she added with a sigh. "And thank you for helping me."
"Don't thank me for that." He told her softly, looking down.
"No really, Shizuo. Thank you so much." She insisted, wincing a bit as she adjusted her grip on the gauze.
Shizuo knew the gravity of his actions would sink in after urgency subsided, but it was still hitting him rather hard. Her words only made him feel more guilty. She didn't even realized, did she? "Do you have any idea what happened?" He asked, brow becoming tight.
She blinked and tried to recall. Now that she had some sense, she could give her full attention to the situation. She did remember some things. She remembered Izaya... That memory came back clearly and bitterly. She remembered being chased. She remembered Shizuo showing up. She remembered finally feeling somewhat secure, but abruptly the recollection was cut short. Everything had just gone black after that.
Shizuo sighed. "It was my fault you got hurt like this." He told her, avoiding her eyes.
"What do you mean?" Tamina asked, genuinely unsure what he could be talking about.
"When I was throwing those scumbags a beating, I kind of lost control. Some stuff went flying and..." He hesitated, embarrassed. "A big piece of wood hit you right in the head."
Tamina hadn't realized that it was, in fact, Shizuo's debris that had struck her, rather than an assailant. It wasn't until then that she realized how guilty he felt. It was all over his face. He was stiff and tense. His eyes averted and focused behind his glasses.
She in turn, started to feel guilty for the guilt he felt. "It's okay." She told him sincerely.
His brow was tight. "It's really not..."
"No, it is. It was an accident." She kept assuring him.
What was he supposed to say now? 'No, things like this always happen'? He couldn't admit that. He'd look like an even bigger dumb ass. He felt frustrated with himself, despite her understanding. He had lost control again, and this girl was sitting here getting staples in her head because of it. He wasn't strong enough again. Strong enough to stop himself from going too far. His expression remained rigid and his fists still clenched. Tamina knew her words held little power with him at the moment. It became obvious that, like this temper, his brooding was not easily eased.
"Okay! Let's close that up, huh?" Shinra's voice caused both of them to jump.. He came to crouch in front of the couch, putting a plate of tools on the table. "Ready for that big spot I'm going to have to shave on your head?" He asked.
Tamina gave a long sigh, already mentally prepared for a bald spot among her long wavy locks. "I guess so."
With that Shinra had a good laugh. "Wow! What a good sport! I was just teasing you though. I won't have to shave anything. Its a pretty clean cut."
"Stop scaring her!" Shizuo demanded, causing Shinra to laugh nervously, holding his hands up.
"Anyway! Okay, Tamina. First I'm going to clean you up." He let her know, soaking a clothe in antiseptic. "This is going to get kind of messy in your hair, so I'm sorry for that."
Tamina nodded and leaned forward so Shinra could begin cleaning the tender area. She winced as he dabbed the wound.
"Are you okay?" She heard Shizuo ask.
She gave a small nod. "Its not too bad."
"Alright," Shinra said as he grabbed an intimidatingly large syringe off the tray on the table. "I'm not going to lie to you. This is the part that sucks." He held it up, squeezing the plunger to release any air inside, some liquid squirting out the top. "This is going to numb you," He told her. "But it has to be injected directly into the wound. It's gonna hurt like hell all at once, but right after you won't feel much of anything, okay?"
Tamina let out a nervous breath and nodded. "I guess so." Before Shinra began she extended a hand to Shizuo. He looked to her hand and back to her, at first confused, but realized what she wanted when he saw her worried face. He took her hand in his and she squeezed right away. "Okay, I'm ready." She told Shinra, as mentally prepared as she could be.
Shinra nodded and began. He gently slipped the syringe right into the gash, flooding the wound with the fluid. Tamina immediately tensed, every nerve in the wound firing off, as Shinra said it would. "Oh, wow, this is terrible." She hissed through the searing pain, trying to keep some humor about it. It was all she could do to keep from letting out a pitiful cry. She had Shizuo's hand in a white knuckle grip as she willed herself through it. Shizuo was hardly fazed by her grip. Her pained expression shook him more than anything she could physically do, he was sure.
Finally, the pain started to subside. And soon after, it vanished all together.
"How's that?" Shinra asked her, patting her shoulder after withdrawing the needle. Tamina nodded, relief washing over her. "Good, good." He said, putting the empty syringe back on the plate and picking up the staple gun. "I promise, the roughest part it over. This you wont even feel."
The daunting instrument he held made Tamina question that, but she said nothing. Just leaned forward again and let the doctor start to close the wound. She felt pressure, and the tool made a loud snapping sound every time a staple sunk into her head, but he was right. She didn't feel any pain. Once the last staple was in place Shinra let out a triumphant laugh. "Spot on! Eight staples, just like I said!"
"Are you okay?" Shizuo asked while Shinra collected his things.
Tamina smiled softly. "Yeah, I'm okay now. Thanks." She told him, giving his hand another soft squeeze before releasing it.
Shizuo's fingers lingered but he let her hand slip from his. As much as he liked the feeling of her hand in his, he couldn't contain the feeling of contempt for himself, considering the irony. Holding hands with a girl was supposed to be for movie dates or walks in the park. But he bitterly felt it was just his luck to end up doing it like this. Painfully. Awkwardly. Unnaturally.
"You look tired." Shizuo observed, trying to shift his focus away from his disdainful thoughts and occupy himself as he'd done before. With her.
"I am." She confirmed, fingers coming to rub her temple to relieve some pressure. "If I fall asleep will I go into a coma?"
Shinra chuckled. "Actually, that's a myth. When the brain sustains an injury, rest is the best thing for it. You should stay under a doctors supervisor for a day or so after a blow like that though. We've got an extra room if you'd like to lay down."
"Would I be overly enthusiastic if I asked you for something for this terrible head ache?" She hoped.
"Afraid so. We shouldn't be suppressing symptoms just yet. But I'll have something for you in the morning." Shinra told her. He suddenly became excited when someone new entered the room. "Oh, Celty! You're finally home!"
"Hey Celty." Shizuo greeted as well, less enthusiastically.
Tamina glanced over her shoulder to see who had come in. Her hair stood on end when she saw none other than the black rider, watching them from the hall. She was unmistakable with her black leather bike wear and yellow neko helmet.
"This is Shizuo's friend Tamina." Shinra told the rider. "I just stapled a pretty sizable gash in her head."
The rider approached, causing Tamina to sink into the couch a bit. She was surprised when the rider pulled out a phone and began tapping away at the screen. When they were done they held the phone out for Tamina to see. It read: "I'm sorry to hear that. How are you feeling?"
Tamina blinked, realizing this must be how it communicated. "Oh..." She verbalized the realization. There was pause after that, as she still tried to process the whole situation. The black rider was here. Right here. Real. And talking. To her! The short silence in the room made her contemplation obvious. She tried to recover, worrying she might appear rude. "I'm starting to feel better now, thank you." She finally said.
The rider withdrew her phone and started tapping again. Tamina looked at the screen she offered again. "Well it's nice to meet you. My name is Celty. We're happy to help any friend of Shizuo."
Tamina breifly glanced at Shizou. So he really was friends with an urban legend. When she thought about it, it did make sense. He was something of a legend himself. "I really appreciate all the help." She told Celty. "I'm sorry to come barging into your home like this."
"It's no problem!" Shinra waved her off. "Shizuo does it all the time with little remorse."
Celty began tapping away at her phone again. "Would you happen to be in the Dollars?" Is what the screen read when she showed it to Tamina.
"Uh, yeah, I am." Tamina confirmed, surprised. "How do you know that?"
"I think every Dollar in the city might be looking for you. You fit the description." Celty pulled up a Dollars message board and scrolled through to show her.
Tamina recognized the Dollars page and leaned in to read the message board Celty showed her. The initial message was Kyohei. It read. "ALL DOLLARS: Our friend is missing and may be in danger! Keep an eye out for her. She's short, with long, pinkish blonde hair. Can't miss her!" Every message that preceded that was a Dollar confirming a place they'd checked or place they would look. Tamina couldn't help a smile to herself, reading through all the supportive message from familiar handles. There were at least sixty posts on this board. Maybe there were people out there trying to turn the Dollars into something ugly, but most of them were still good. Just normal people, looking out for each other. Keeping their city safe.
"Yup. That would be me." Tamina admitted. She noticed Celty's handle was displayed and read 'Shooter'. It was a name she immediately recognized. "You're Shooter?" She asked, more than surprised. They chatted often. Typically about trivial things like movies and music. There had never been any strangeness or hints toward the supernatural nature of her online friend.
Celty tap, tapped away. " That's me! Would you mind me asking your handle?"
"I'm LC." Tamina let her know, the strangeness of her day staggering her by now.
At that Celty's posture seemed to change in an excited way and she began to tap tap tap again. "Wow! I never would have guessed! It's nice to meet you in RL!
"Me either, you have no idea." Tamina said with a soft smile. Then a realization came. "I should let everyone know I'm okay..." With that she remembered. "Oh, but I those guys totally destroyed my phone."
Shizuo let out an irritated growl at that. He suddenly wished he'd thrown those low lives an ever more severe beating. Seriously, to gang up on a girl like her and have the nerve to break her phone to boot? His own phone had been buzzing all night. Probably due to all the Dollars updates. When he checked and noticed several missed calls from Tom he realized he'd completely ditched his job. "Sorry." He said immediately standing from the couch. "I have to make a call." He excused himself to the hall to explain the situation to Tom. Hopefully he wasn't too pissed.
Celty typed away. "I'll let the Dollars know you're safe." She showed Tamina.
"You hang out with Kyohei and his gang right? Want me to call them?" Shinra offered.
"You know my friends?" Tamina asked.
"Yeah. Kyohei, Shizuo and I all went to the same high school." He explained.
She wasn't eager to explain her circumstances to her overprotective friends right away, so she gladly relented the task. "I'd appreciate that. Please, don't let them worry."
"You can use the landline for any other calls you need to make." Shinra offered her a cordless phone, then went about the task of gingerly notifying her friends.
With Shinra dealing with that, Tamina right away dialed Mairu and Kururi. It was well past their dinner hour and they were no doubt concerned by now. "Hey, it's me." Tamina told Kururi when she picked up her end.
"Are you okay?" Kururi asked with little inflection, as usual. "You're phone goes straight to voicemail."
"I'm so sorry, Kuri." Tamina began apologetically, rubbing her temple. "It's been a really weird day. Did you two eat?"
"Yeah, we're fine. We got take out. Where are you?" Kururi asked.
"I can't really explain right now." Tamina didn't want to worry them so she decided to delay this explanation as well. "Something came up, but I'll hopefully be home tomorrow. Will you two be okay until then?"
"We're fine." Kururi assured her.
Tamina breathed a relived sigh at her understanding. "Okay. If you need me, call me at this number."
When Shizuo returned from his conversation with Tom, he approached Tamina on the couch. Her color had returned a bit, but she still looked like hell. A dimmer, tired version of the usually bright girl that stuck out to him. "Let's get you in bed." He told her.
"Please." She more than accepted, ready to finally lay down and rest her throbbing head. There was nothing more appealing to her right now than the thought of sleeping until this ache was gone. She extended a hand to him which he took right away with a disapproving look. "I'm okay. I can walk." Tamina tried to assure him, using his weight as leverage to try and stand up.
"I'd rather you didn't." Shizuo insisted as he halted her, his other hand firmly grabbing her shoulder. He didn't wait for her to attempt further, instead pulling her close and sweeping an arm under the back of her knees to pick her right up.
"Good night Tamina!" She heard Shinra call as Shizuo carried her down the hall of their beautiful apartment.
There was no point in trying to have her way. She had a lot of recovering to do and Shizuo was more than capable of assisting her for the time being. Familiar with Celty and Shinra's apartment, he brought her to the spare bedroom and crouched down to sit her on the floor. After he set up the futon he guided her to lay down. "Here."
She came to lay, resting partially on her side to avoid pressure on her head wound. "Thanks." She replied, already resting her eyes.
Crouching next to her sad, pale form, Shizuo felt immensely unsettled again. "Tamina..." He started to say. "I just wanted to tell you, I'm so sorry about this." She looked up at him ready to protest, but he went on. "Don't try to make me feel better about it. I hurt you. And there's no excuse for that."
"I've been hurt by way worse than you, Shizuo, trust me." She told him. "Please forgive yourself a little. You didn't mean to."
"I never do." He said bitterly.
"Besides. I owe you an apology too." Tamina said suddenly, hoping she could ease his brooding.
Shizuo looked to her curiously, unsure what on Earth she could feel the need to apologize for. Especially now. "Why?"
"The last time we saw each other. I'd never seen anything like what you did. I didn't understand it and it scared the hell out of me." She admitted. "I don't have the best judge of character, but I still judged you and I was so wrong for that."
"I don't get how you can say that after what I did tonight." He said.
"What do you think was gonna happen if you didn't show up?" She asked.
At that he suppressed a growl. "I don't wanna think about that. Those guys better hope I don't catch them in this city again."
She noticed the tightness in his eyes and brow. His fists were clenched tight in his lap. She hadn't meant to spike his nerves again. He certainly was an emotional man. More than she ever would have thought. Compelled to comfort him she persisted. "I forgive you. I really do."
"You shouldn't." He immediately hissed. Right away he regretted the hostile tone he'd projected, but it just frustrated him further. He couldn't even speak his damn mind without his intense anger distorting him and molding him all at once.
It was like staring at an overflowing sink, or a fire, catching from one thing to the next, to the next and on. Tamina could see his chain of irate thoughts on his tight face. He wasn't looking at her anymore. He didn't seem to want to. His eyes could burn a hole in the floor and his brow twitched with tension every so often. She felt like she was running out of ways to approach the matter, but she was still desperate to console him. Regardless of this mishap, he had done the right thing. She needed him to see that. She reached over to touch his hand. "Shizuo please," She said.
Under her touch he immediately looked up. First to her hand, softly gripping his fist. Then to the new soft but focused expression on her face.
"It hurts me, seeing you like this." She told him more quietly than before. And she meant every breath of it. His self loathing and anger pained her. For all the good he'd done she couldn't bear to see him being so hard on himself.
With that he softened. He felt the pressure that had been building begin to fade. 'It hurts me' Her words reverberated in his head, reeling in his nerves. He didn't want to hurt her. In any way. Ever again. He felt a change start to churn in him. His harsh internal monologue ceased, and a strange sense of clarity was washing over him.
After watching a sort of calm finally take him, Tamina felt like she could finally say more with him actually hearing. "Thank you so much for what you did. And I forgive you. Can you please get past this?" She pleaded. He gave that a good hard thought. Just forget about it? Move on? Easier said than done. At his hesitation she gave his fist a soft squeeze again. "For me?" She added.
He felt himself melt further under her words, the heaviness inside him finally giving way. As if a threshold had been cleared, allowing his energy to flow freely again. His face relaxed and fists slowly loosened in his lap. It was gonna be hard, getting past this, no doubt. He was his own worst enemy he knew. But for her, he wanted to try. "Alright." He relented.
Her hand didn't withdraw from his right away like he expected. It remained, holding onto his. It was such a sincere gesture. One he didn't get often at all. He knew what he wanted to do now, but his actions lagged from nerves. How was it that his body was capable of such fantastic feets, yet he couldn't seem to do anything delicate? Still he was determined to try. Hesitantly, his hand rolls over so his palm could meet hers. His fingers curled around her hand to hold it. Even he had to admit, it felt incredibly nice. Such a small intimate thing.
She watched his hand take hers and finally gave a content sigh. Her head ached terribly and she had eight shiny new staples in it, but at this moment, she felt pretty good. He was a good person. That much she was certain of. In a time in her life where she craved positive energy and connections, she allowed herself this innocent pleasure.
He was happy to stay like this. He wondered how long he could. He wondered how long it would be before he did it again. Maybe sooner than he realized, if he could just try harder. "You have to go to sleep." He finally forced himself to say, watching her exhausted face.
She wasn't in a position to protest. She could barely keep her eyes open anymore. "Are you leaving?" She asked.
"I'll crash on Shinra's couch." He told her. "We'll talk more in the morning."
She nodded at that, releasing his hand and pulling the blankets over her shoulder. "Okay. Please try to relax." She implored him.
He felt like he was the one who should be telling her that. Still, he appreciated her continued consideration of his feelings. "Goodnight." He said simply.
"Goodnight." She mumbled back, already feeling the heaviness of sleep rushing upon her.
He waited a little longer. Her breathing evened out quickly as she succumbed to the rest she desperately needed. He left her to sleep, closing the door behind him and heading back to the living room where he could already hear Shinra's whiny obnoxious tone. The little bit of peace he'd just had seemed to vanish, much to Shizuo's irritation, but he reminded himself the former was more odd than the later.
"It's still our movie night Celty... We don't have to skip it just because we've got some company! We can move it to the bedroom! Now that I think of it... I'm even more excited now than-OW! OW!" Shinra whined when Celty began to poke and prod him with her shadows.
Shizuo watched the strange exchange with a perplexed expression from the doorway. They'd no doubt grown closer in the time he'd known them, but he still wasn't quite sure how Celty put up with his strange friend.
Celty turned, noticing Shizuo watching them and immediately offered her phone. "Sorry! Is she sleeping?"
"Yeah, she is now. It's fine." He came to sit on the couch, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. What a long day it had been...
"That took longer than I expected. Did you get a good night kis—OW" If Celty's shadow hadn't punched Shinra, Shizuo would have. Shinra toppled backward at the strong contact, nervously waving his hands. He was beginning to think he'd pressed his luck enough with everyone tonight.
Shizuo was satisfied with this, scoffing off the tension he felt building in him again. He took deep breaths, trying to remind himself. 'She's in there sleeping.' He told himself. 'Keep it calm so she can sleep.' He found himself justifying. Oddly enough, just as before, it worked. The stress slowly became less nagging and he was able to let the irritation at least somewhat slip away for Tamina's sake.
"You look tired youself." Celty's phone read when she offered it to Shizuo.
He let out a long sigh. "Yeah. Would you mind if I crashed here?"
Celty was tapping again. "Of course not. You should."
Shizuo nodded at that. "Thanks."
After Shizuo was settled with a pillow and blanket Celty and Shinra left him to wind down for the night. He sat on their couch in the quiet, reflecting on the day. He certainly hadn't expected anything extraordinary to happen, but he found himself strangely at peace with it by now. It was strange, because tension seldom left him so easily. He shifted, wondering if maybe he was just too tired or burnt out to feel clearly by now. He felt something unfamiliar in his pocket when he did. Unsure what it could be, he reached into his pants and pulled whatever it was out. Upon examination he realized it was Tamina's busted phone that he'd grabbed for her earlier. With a soft sigh he turned it in his hand, examining the damage. The glass was completely shattered and it certainly seemed to be beyond repair. He held the power button just to confirm his suspicions. It wouldn't even turn on.
It was in a blush pink case that just seemed to suite her to him. He blinked, noticing something peeking out of it. Gently, he pulled out the small slip of paper. He found the text familiar. It was a fortune from a cookie from Russia Sushi. It read 'Pay attention to the signs. The universe is speaking to you.' It must mean something to her. Why else would she keep it?
He stared a little while longer, reading it a few times more. Finally his hand fell back into his lap, still holding the little paper. "Well?" He said out loud but softly. "I'm listening." He said, as if the universe would just answer him right then a there.
Author Notes: Shizu-chan never does what you expect...and there's a certain info broker that hates that...
See you soon!
Please REVIEW/FAVORITE/FOLLOW!
