Author's Note: Hello, friends! Finally have another chapter for you! Hope you enjoy it!

Also, just as a heads-up; I don't know if you guys have heard about the awful fires going on in California, but I am one of the people currently affected by them. My home still stands for now, but I had to evacuate and all that fun stuff. So yeah! Classes have all been cancelled for the week so I'm trying to get more writing done, so hopefully I'll have another chapter up for either Second Chances or A Long Way from Home soon. Love you guys!

If I could just wake up from this nightmare, that would be fantastic. Izaya thinks to himself, trying to ignore the headache currently throbbing in his skull; he'd told everyone that he'd escaped by convincing Jackal that he wanted to let him in on a dirty little secret about his employer, and for the most part, they all appeared to have bought it - all, of course, but the one person who already knows the truth. To say that Magnolia seems disappointed would be an understatement - while she hasn't outed him yet (she may not be able or willing to speak, but that doesn't mean she can't write it down or something), her frustration is palpable to all involved. Thankfully, everyone else has chalked it up to the situation itself, something he is incredibly grateful for - he really doesn't want to have to explain to them that Jackal is actually a sleazebag who seems to get off on humiliating and sexually harassing him, or that Vincent seems to have no real problem with that (hell, for all he knows, the American is getting off on it too.)

"So what do we do now?" Shizuo asks from outside on the porch, the door open so they can still talk while he smokes a cigarette. "That asshole ain't gonna stop at one attempt, he's absolutely gonna try again."

"I know that, but I'm not entirely sure who else we might be able to ask." Shinra responds with a sigh. "We already know that my poor excuse for a father won't be of any help - whether he genuinely doesn't know anything, or does and is in fact lying about it."

[Knowing him, it could be either...]

"A sad yet indisputable truth." He sighs again, then turns to Izaya. "What about you? This whole conspiracy does revolve around you, after all."

"I don't want to discuss this right now." Is the weary broker's reply.

"I understand that, but we need a game plan-"

"And we can make a game plan when I've had a little more time to relax."

"I thought that was what the bath was for?" Shizuo pipes in, taking another drag.

"Yes, well, considering someone wouldn't stop asking me if I was done yet, my bath wasn't really as relaxing as I'd hoped."

Though I suppose it didn't help that I couldn't stop worrying about whether or not I was being spied on…

Celty feels a tug on her arm, and she looks down to discover Magnolia staring up at her. [What is it?] She asks.

The girl answers by making a grabbing motion for her PDA, which after a moment of hesitation, she hands over. Magnolia appears to fumble with the device for a few minutes, then hands it back. On the screen is an unsent text message reading, 'i want to leeve'.

[You do?]

Magnolia nods.

[Well, Izaya did say he wanted some more time to relax… and you haven't eaten this morning, have you? How about I treat you to breakfast?]

Her eyes light up, and she nods again, this time a bit more emphatically.

[Alright.] She waves for Shinra's attention, and he immediately gives it to her..

"How can I be of service, my queen?"

She lets the embarrassing nickname slide for now. [Can we go get breakfast for Magnolia?] She'd learned of the name they'd been using when Izaya was in the bath, and she has to admit, it's surprisingly suiting. [She wants to get out for a little while, and it would give Izaya more time to recover.] She has the feeling there's something more to the story than what he'd told her, but she can't put her finger on it - it was almost like he was uncomfortable while telling it, like there was something he was ashamed about.

Oh, well. Not my problem.

"I don't see why not, but I'm not sure I'm the one you should be asking." He tilts his head in Shizuo's direction. "He is her guardian, after all."

"Huh? What?" Shizuo looks between them, confused.

"Celty wants to know if we can take Magnolia out to breakfast."

"Oh. Yeah, sure. Don't see why not." If Vincent isn't interested in the kid anymore, it probably isn't going to hurt for her to get a little fresh air.

Besides…

He and the flea really need to talk.

"Breakfast!" Izaya claps his hands. "What a wonderful idea, I myself am absolutely famished. I don't suppose you'd mind if I-"

"Yeah, not gonna happen, flea. You're not going anywhere." Shizuo informs him, crossing his arms.

"I wasn't asking you."

"Yeah, well, I'm sure they'll say the same. Right?"

The other three all nod.

[You're lucky you were able to escape the first time, I don't think it's good for you to be wandering around. We still don't know what Vincent wants you for.]

"Agreed." Shinra says. "It's better that you stay here for now… but we can bring you back something, if you want?" He offers helpfully.

"See? Told ya."

"So what, I have to be under house arrest?" He can feel his self-control start to slip, feel his emotions swelling and pushing and threatening to burst. "I never asked for this - I never asked for any of this!"

"You think any of us did?!" Shizuo snaps, his cigarette crushed between his fingers as he storms back into the house and stares the smaller man down. "None of us asked for any of this either!"

"Yet none of you are dealing with even half the shit I am! In fact, you don't even know half the shit I'm dealing with!" He can't do this anymore. He can't pretend to be fine, not now, not here where there's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, nowhere to escape.

"Wait, are you saying you didn't tell us everything?" Shinra asks, obviously not at all pleased..

"Are you really that surprised?" Izaya responds, a harsh edge to his voice.

"We're trying to help you!"

"By keeping me prisoner!"

"By keeping you safe!"

"Safe? You're leaving me alone with my mortal enemy!"

"I haven't killed you yet, have I?!" Shizuo clenches both his teeth and his fists, starting to lose what little patience he still has left. "I figured after last night you might be a little more trusting!"

"Wait, what happened last night?" Shinra asks, suddenly feeling very lost.

"Nothing." Izaya says immediately, biting back his panic at the thought of anyone else finding out about the Absolute Worst Mistake He Has Ever Made In His Life. "Absolutely nothing happened last night, do you understand me?" His words might have been in response to Shinra's question, but the glare he gives Shizuo makes it clear that they're really meant for him.

"Shinra." The angry blonde manages to say through his still-greet teeth. "I think it'd be a reaaaaally good idea for you guys to leave now."

"Don't need to tell me twice." Shinra says, making an immediate beeline for the door. Celty takes Magnolia by the hand and quickly leads her out after him; when all three of them are gone, Shizuo slams the door (the frame shakes violently, but somehow manages to stand strong) and whips around to face the other man.

"Nothing, huh?" He snarls. "That's all that fucking was?"

"We are not having this discussion."

I will not panic, I will not panic, I will not panic...

"Yes, we are." Shizuo closes the distance between them, his anger radiating off of him. "Why the hell did you kiss me?"

"I'm not answering that question." Izaya feels like his heart is going to explode out of his chest - he can't handle this right now, he just can't.

I need to get away. How do I get away? I need to get away!

"Well, why the hell not?!" The blonde presses, unaware of Izaya's current internal state. All he knows is that the man he's wanted since he first laid eyes on him - the man who he never, ever, ever believed could ever want him back - had not only kissed him, but actually let him touch him. Let him have him, even! And now? Now he has the balls to say nothing happened? "Was it just a fucking joke to you?"

"Excuse me?" Izaya can barely believe his ears. "What about this is funny?"

"I don't fucking know, that's why I'm asking!"

"Well believe it or not, Shizuo, this isn't a joke! That's why I'm not fucking laughing!" If anything, he's on the verge of a breakdown. "I hate this! I hate all of this! I just want to back to the way things were before, when Vincent and his attack mongrel weren't even blips on my radar and you - you!" He's shaking so hard that he doesn't notice the entirety of Shizuo's tiny apartment beginning to shake too, not even when the dishes start to fall from the cupboards and the cracks start to form in the walls and blood begins to drip from his nose and Shizuo begins yelling at him to calm down, which just makes him more angry, because who is fucking he to tell him to fucking calm down…

...and then there's crash as the ceiling light finally snaps and plummets to the ground in the exact spot he'd still be standing in had Shizuo not yanked him out of the way at the last minute.

"Look, I know I'm not one to talk… but I really think you need to find a better way to get out your emotions." The blonde says after a minute or so of awkward silence.

Tired, stressed, and now with a full-blown monster migraine instead of just a bad headache - all Izaya can do in response is laugh.