I am so sorry this took so long... I've had a pretty bad couple of weeks. My cat got very sick very quickly and we had to put him down last week, and on top of that, my friend's dog was put down the very same day. And in the midst of it all I have been dealing with my anxiety in general, and my boyfriend got in a car accident (he's fine, car wasn't and so I had to help him find a new vehicle that same day). And now I have to start preparing for job interviews for a career I'm not even sure I want.

So yeah. I'm doing my best to keep up with this fic though. I hope there aren't too many mistakes in this chapter because I didn't proof read it much.

But thank you all for the reviews! They really brighten up my day.

…~-~...

"That's it?" Shizuo asked with a mixture of irritation and surprise.

"I told you," Izaya began, stepping inside his apartment, "I only need you to be my bodyguard when I'm out of the apartment. All I needed today was groceries."

"Yeah, okay," Shizuo mumbled.

The two stared at one another awkwardly, neither one sure how to end this strange outing.

Izaya was the one to finally break the tense silence. "I'll call you when you are needed again." And with that he closed the door, probably with a little more force than necessary.

With a sigh of relief, Izaya finally dropped the groceries and collapsed onto his knees.

"Damn it…" he whispered to himself.

The trip had been more difficult than he had thought. His body still wasn't strong enough to handle trips like this. Especially with the added mental strain of shopping with the man who, just a few months ago, caused his current physical trauma. And is wasn't like the entire trip was as simple as walking to the store and back…

…~-~...

"I still hate your guts."

"Then why are you helping me?"

He could have just accepted what Shizuo said, yet deep down he felt it wouldn't be right for him not to push Shizuo. He needed to keep up appearances that he was doing well after all.

"Shut up. I told you already. it's because I don't want some psycho that has you scared enough to come crawling to me for help wandering the streets." Shizuo instantly knew he struck a nerve when Izaya shot a dark glare in his direction.

His eyes slipped closed as he let out a quiet breath to calm himself. "If you know what's good for you, you'll be quiet now."

It felt like he ran into a brick wall. Opening his eyes when he was nearly knocked over, Izaya looked back ahead of him to see that Shizuo had stepped into his path.

"Are you threatening me, I-za-ya-kun?" He asked in a low voice, standing his ground.

Izaya considered this for a moment. "And what if I am?"

Shizuo stepped forward, forcing Izaya back until his back hit a real brick wall. "We can finish our last fight here and now."

"We did finish it, Shizu-chan," Izaya said quietly. "But you were too weak to hit me hard enough to kill me. You would have rather let that assassin do it for you-"

A sudden movement and a crash cut Izaya off. Shizuo pulled his fist out of the crumbling brick right next to Izaya's head.

"Don't bring her into this," he said darkly, "She has nothing to do with you anymore." Shizuo didn't wait for a response as he turned and continued walking towards the store. "Let's just get this over with."

Izaya was silent for a moment as he leaned against the wall, stunned, knees barely holding him up. If Shizuo had really been aiming for him, he would be done for. Obviously Izaya's reflexes were not as sharp as they used to be.

But what was that reaction? Why didn't he hit me? Why was he so damn calm? And why is he still planning to escort me to the store?!

"Just get your shit so we can get out of here," Shizuo grumbled as they entered the grocery store.

Already feeling the pain from the walk to the store-not to mention the sudden threat to his life-Izaya didn't argue and pulled out his list.

He could feel Shizuo's disapproving glares as he picked up certain items. Clearly Shizuo wasn't a fan of the tea, coffee, and certain vegetables Izaya picked up.

"Is that all you eat? No wonder you're such a twig."

"It's healthy. Unlike the burgers you shovel down all the time. Besides, I need cooking supplies if I'm gonna be around the apartment a lot. As you saw last night, my refrigerator is empty. Normally I'd grab something from a convenience store or Namie would cook something for me, but she's gone and I'm not about to have you accompany me to the store for every meal, so I'm gonna have to do some more cooking…"

"Whatever," Izaya could practically hear an animalistic growl in Shizuo's voice. Clearly he'd had enough. "Just hurry up and get everything else you need."

A couple minutes passed in silence until finally they were walking out the door. Izaya's focus had shifted from trying to keep up appearances in front of Shizuo, to getting home and getting some rest. His legs were beginning to hurt from too much walking and the added weight of carrying groceries home was pulling on his arms, causing an ache where the bones had recently healed.

Just a few more minutes… he thought.

"So you know how to cook?"

"Huh?" Izaya's train of thought was thrown off track at the sudden, strange question. Once it finally processed in his head, Izaya spoke again. "Why the sudden interest, Shizu-chan?"

"I'm not interested," Shizuo retorted, "Just bored."

"Ahh~? Am I that boring?"

"Yeah when you're stareing off with that weird look on your face."

Weird look? He hadn't realized he was making a face let alone what the look might have been.

"Would you prefer me talking?" Izaya continued acting as if Shizuo's words hadn't bothered him.

"Not about the weird shit or annoying shit you always ramble about," Shizuo said, "But yeah, you being quiet like that is so creepy I'd almost prefer you talking."

Izaya laughed, trying to bring some semblance of normalcy into his tone. "So you'd rather hear me talk about cooking? I think you're the boring one! Hahaha!"

"I was just trying to start a conversation," Shizuo grumbled, "You don't have to be such a pest."

"Well since you're so interested in knowing, yes I do know how to cook. Nothing fancy though I usually just follow a recipe. The truth is if you know how to read, you know how to cook."

"Says you," Shizuo scoffed, "Cooking is fucking hard when you don't know what you're doing."

"It's really not that hard," Izaya said with a chuckle, "I mean, it's a pain because it takes so long and you have to keep track of everything but I wouldn't say it's hard."

"Again, this is coming from the fucking smartass who always got top marks."

"Did you just compliment me?"

"What? N-no! Well yeah you're smart but I said 'smartass' meaning that you are smart but you use that to be an ass."

Izaya didn't miss the stutter in Shizuo's response. "Oh? Is that what that means?"

"Shut up!" Shizuo barked, "Ugh forget what I said. I think I prefer you being all quiet."

"Oh no, no, no, you started this conversation! You don't get to take it back now! So tell me, Shizu-chan, do you ever cook at home or is every meal take-out or McDonalds?"

"I said shut it, Flea!"

"So am I correct?"

"No! I mean… I can make simple stuff but none of that crap that needs a lot of ingredients. It's too hard to keep track of everything."

"Sandwiches and instant ramen don't count!"

CRUNCH!

The familiar sound of twisting metal reached his ears prompting years of instinct to kick in. Izaya spun around, preparing to dodge a projectile, however this time he saw something different.

Shizuo had a crushing grip on a street sign pole with one hand, while the other was clenched into a fist. What was different than usual was that the sign post was was still attached to the concrete ground and not flying towards Izaya's person at high speeds.

What was more, Shizuo seemed to be relatively calm, his eyes closed and attempting to breathe slowly giving off the impression that he was counting down from 10 in his head.

Izaya stood his ground, unsure about this reaction. Why was Shizuo trying so hard not to hit him?

After a few moments, Shizuo seemed to have calmed down some, although the look in his eyes when he opened them gave the message that he was done with the conversation. His grip finally released, leaving a bend in the sign as he continued forward.

Izaya was frozen on the spot in a strange mix of curiosity and horror as he awaited Shizuo's next move. But the blond merely continued walking forward, his shoulder hitting Izaya's as he passed by. Izaya stumbled for a second, quickly catching himself as a dull ache grew in his shoulder-of course he had to hit the one that was previously dislocated.

"Hurry up before I leave you behind," Shizuo called over his shoulder.

Is he actually taking this bodyguard job seriously? Izaya wondered.

He easily could have knocked him out and left at any time, yet despite his constant taunting, Shizuo seemed dedicated to complete his duty.

Really… What could be going through his head?

…~-~...

10…

Don't kill the Flea…

9…

Don't do it…

8…

This is my fault anyway for getting him talking…

7…

6…

He seems smaller than he was a few months ago.

5…

If I hit him now... he's so thin I might actually kill him…

4…

His reflexes are slower too…

3…

2…

Just don't kill the Flea…

1…

0…

With a deep breath, Shizuo opened his eyes and began walking forward.

Of course he wanted to hit Izaya. He was being a pest as usual. But every time he thought about hitting him he'd remember…

Izaya's painful screams… the fear in his voice…

Izaya hadn't screamed like that even when Shizuo felt the bones in his arms snap in the first solid punch he'd ever landed on him. He hadn't screamed like that when Varona shot a dagger into his side, nor when she aimed a gun in his direction. Izaya had faced his potential death calmly when they last fought. To Shizuo, that meant those screams had another meaning in addition to pain.

Shizuo had been deeply disturbed by the video he had been given. Moreover, it still bothered him that he didn't know who had intended for him to see it.

It very well could have been sent to him by man he saw in the video causing Izaya's pain. Izaya was clearly terrified of that man. Why else would he be desperate enough to turn to Shizuo of all people for help?

Shizuo sighed as he finally called out to Izaya to follow him. He shouldn't blame Izaya for pissing him off. He was the one who decided to start the conversation. He was the one who saw Izaya's troubled expression and wanted to give him a distraction.

Damn Flea… Always causing trouble…

…~-~...

Body aching, Izaya pulled himself off the floor. He needed to check the apartment before he could bring himself to relax. It was becoming a new routine to thoroughly search his living space every time he left the building. He could never be too careful. Even though it had been just over a week since he last heard from Jiro, he couldn't allow himself to get too comfortable.

Izaya sighed as he began putting the food away. He bought too much. With how pathetic his appetite was lately he doubted he could eat all the food he bought.

Maybe I'll invite Shizu-chan over for dinner, he thought, the idea making him chuckle.

…

…

Damn…

Izaya set the last of the food in his fridge when he caught himself thinking fondly of the blond.

He broke your bones and almost killed you, he told himself.

How can I still…

Izaya hung his head as if he were ashamed. He still couldn't let go of these feelings which had been carved deep within him over the years. And Shizuo's strange behavior today didn't help his already convoluted heart.

He would be losing sleep over this tonight. He could tell already.