Just a heads up, this fic is also available in AO3 for people who frequent there rather than here. Updates should be a little faster now that I am approaching a section of this fic which is already written.

...~-~...

It had been three weeks since he had received the phone call from Jiro. He had spent those three weeks with minimal contact with the outside world, hiding from someone he was not ready to face.

Izaya sighed. He would rather face Shizuo again than have Jiro within 100 meters of him. At least Shizuo would end his life quickly... At least if he didn't try to fight back. A shudder made its way down his spine at the thought and he suddenly became more aware of the pain that still lingered from the last time he faced Shizuo.

Doing a few stretches helped ease the pain. In the past 3 weeks he had been hotel hopping, Izaya had been working on his physical rehabilitation on his own. He needed to get his strength back quickly, as a confrontation with Jiro could happen any day now. Not that Jiro was particularly strong. Not nearly as strong as Shizuo… but the psychological effects that hearing Jiro's voice over the phone had caused made Izaya weary. He felt as if he might not be able to fight properly even if he were at full health.

Nevertheless, Izaya had been trying to rehabilitate himself. He doubted he could run very far, but he could at least do a few, shaky pushups. That was definitely an improvement after a dislocated shoulder and two broken arms. He knew he shouldn't be pushing himself so soon, but he needed to do something to prepare himself before the time came to go back to his apartment.

He at least had some semblance of a plan. If he could find a good bodyguard, he could buy himself more time. The problem was finding a good bodyguard in the first place. This was a different situation than when he enlisted Dragon Zombie to guard him from "Yodogiri". Jiro was specifically after him and no one else. He would need to have someone guarding him constantly as opposed to only being guarded only when he left the apartment. He might even need to be protected through the night if possible.

There was no one Izaya could trust—especially not a stranger—to perform that part of the task. Nor could he trust Dragon Zombie if he were to contact them again. He would have to use someone he knew personally…

Someone strong… who can't be taken down easily by weapons or drugs…

But there wasn't anyone like that. Well, except—

"No," Izaya whispered into the silence of the room.

He wouldn't ask him. Maybe he could get Celty to... nah, Celty would ask too many questions and even if she didn't, Shinra surely would to ensure his darling wasn't in danger.

All other options were exhausted in less than 10 minutes. Celty seemed to be the only viable option, but it still came down to the fact that she and Shinra were basically inseparable. The last resort being the option he was trying to avoid…

Shizuo was definitely strong enough. His resistance to physical damage was legendary and according to Shinra, it took quite a lot for drugs to have a noticeable effect.

In the end it seemed to come down to choosing the lesser of the two evils: try to cut a deal with Shizuo and hope he accepts, or face Jiro alone and risk his life. No, worse; his freedom.

He knew what he would have to do, but he couldn't seem to gather the courage required to do it.

He'd have to do it quick—like ripping off a bandaid or jumping into cold water—so he didn't have the time to overthink it.

The phone was in his hand. He had already deleted Shizuo's number from his phone, but he still remembered it.

Hands shaking, he typed in the number and stared at it for a moment.

What am I doing…? What are the consequences of actually calling this number?

It's Shizu-chan or Jiro. I have no choice.

With that thought in his mind, Izaya pressed the call button.

The phone rang a few times and for a moment Izaya wondered about the possibility that Shizuo had changed his number in the past couple months.

The thought was shattered when he heard the unmistakable sound of Shizuo's voice answering.

"Hello…?"

Izaya froze. What was he thinking? This would never work…

I have no choice… I have to try…

Heart pounding and mouth dry, Izaya finally spoke. "Shizu-chan…"

Silence.

Izaya waited for a reply. Something to tell him whether or not this was going to be a complete disaster.

"... So you're alive then…?" Shizuo's response was almost muttered into the receiver, but Izaya could still hear him clearly.

"Yes," Izaya replied almost as quietly.

"What do you want?" the voice on the other end sounded much more like the Shizuo he was used to hearing. Demanding and slightly irritated.

"I need you to listen to something of a proposition and resist hanging up on me until I've explained everything."

"Why should I?" Shizuo spat, "You don't deserve my attention after what you did."

Izaya closed his eyes. Shizuo's words hurt, but only because they were true.

"Because I really need your help with something right now and—"

"Help?!" Shizuo interrupted, "You're barking up the wrong tree. You just want to set me up again because you're upset you couldn't finish me off!"

"Shizuo, please listen—"

"No. No, Izaya. You have no right asking me for help after everything you've done to me. I don't want to help you and I don't care about whatever trouble you've gotten yourself into. Just leave me alone and stay out of Ikebukuro. Goodbye."

"Wait—!"

CLICK.

The phone still pressed against his ear, Izaya sighed. He hadn't been expecting it to go smoothly, but he was at least hoping to have the chance to explain himself before being turned away.

Turning on his side, Izaya tried to calm himself. In under a minute he was able to stop his limbs from trembling and had his breathing back to a normal pace. Pulling himself up to sit on the edge of the bed, Izaya did the only thing he knew how to do. He forced down his feelings of anxiety. Buried them deep within himself until only a calm exterior remained. Panicking wasn't going to solve anything. It was time to go home and stop running.

Maybe he would be able to call in a favor with the Awakusu to borrow a bodyguard or two for a little while. One of Shiki's men maybe. Anyone Shiki trusted enough to be around him while doing business would be good enough for now.

With his decision made, Izaya threw together his belongings and began his trip home.

…~-~...

What on earth had that been about?

Shizuo stared at his phone as if it had offended him by allowing a phone call from a device owned by Orihara Izaya.

But was that really Izaya? Shizuo asked himself. After all, the voice on the other end of the line was different than the voice he recognized. He might not even have known it was him if he hadn't used the name "Shizu-chan".

He couldn't place what made that voice sound so different.

"Tch. Who cares, anyway?" he grumbled.

Flipping his phone shut and sliding it into his pocket, Shizuo continued on his way home unaware of the eyes watching him from a distance.