Check-up

The ding of the elevator knocks him out of his daydream. As it opens, he shakes off the sensation of longing that has kept him from acting like his usual self and heads toward the door to Shinra's apartment. He knocks twice, waits and knocks again. "Shinra, open the damn door!"

On the opposite side of the door, a wimpy voice calls out to the blonde. "Hold on, I'm coming! No need to break down the door." The door clicks open and an irritated Shizuo is welcomed inside.

"What happened to the crutches I gave you the last time you came by?"

"Didn't need 'em."

"Ah." Shinra moves past the blonde and directs him to the couch. "Right," he says under his breath.

Shizuo takes a seat and lets Dr. Kishitani inspect the leg. "Well, it looks like it's healing pretty well." He probes the knee. "I don't think you're ready to work just yet, but I don't see a problem with you being more active."

Shinra moves to the kitchen and offers Shizuo a cup of coffee.

"No, thanks. I gotta get going anyway."

"If you don't mind me asking," the next words are muffled by the sounds of spices and soup cans being moved, "what exactly happened that night?" He finds the sugar and sets it on the table.

"What?" growls Shizuo.

"It's just that," Shinra searches for a spoon, "Izaya vaguely told me how you broke your leg and," he begins to stir his coffee and continues. "I was hoping you'd fill me in."

"There's nothing to explain." Shizuo could tell Shinra wasn't satisfied by that answer. Sigh. "The damn louse sent some assholes after me. One of the bastards took a bat to my leg and fucking broke it."

"Ah. Yeah, that's what he told me." Sip. "Well, except for the bat part, but- -."

Shizuo interrupts him. "I'm leaving." He gets off the couch and starts to make his way to the door.

"I just don't understand why he took you to his place. So much for hating each other, huh?" Shizuo stops.

Shinra's eyes widen when he hears what just came out of his mouth. Did I say that out loud? Oh, God. He's going to kill me. Oh, my poor Celty! I know, I'll write her a love note with my own blood…that's romantic, right? Maybe it'll be enough to grant me a passionate ki—

"I'm uh- I didn't mean anything by that." Shinra's face is burning red. "It's just that it doesn't make any sense."

That was something Shizuo didn't understand either. He tries to figure it out every chance he gets, but he comes up with nothing. Every time he thinks he's figured Izaya out, he remembers everything the damn flea has told him. 'Don't go on thinking this means anything than what it actually is.' Goddammit, what the hell does that mean? 'Nothing.' Tch, yeah. Nothing.

Just then, Shinra's cell phone begins to ring. Before the blonde's hand can fall on the handle, it freezes when the four-eye doctor enunciates the flea's name.

Everything around him fades and just like that, he's back to square one; dreaming up stupid scenarios and distorted fantasies of a future with the one that's had it out for him since the day they met. Cringe~

"Does she have to go right now? No, no. I understand." Click.

"It's like he knows I'm here…" Shizuo realizes the chances of that are slim, but goddammit, it wouldn't surprise him if the flea did know he was there.

"Sorry about that," says Shinra as he scratches the nape of his neck. "Oh, before I forget…" He opens a drawer, picks something up, and walks behind Shizuo. "Take these." The arm stretches out. Shizuo looks at the hand laying out next to him and almost punches a hole through the door when he sees the orange container. "I imagine you must still be in some sort of pain."

"Get that shit out of my face."

"They're just pain killers." Rattle~

Shizuo turns around, ready to reek havoc on the walls around him when he notices the black, smoky swirls forming above Shinra. Celty takes a minute to stretch before she starts to walks toward the two men. She stops when she's shoulder to shoulder with the man that loves her.

"Good morning, Celty!" The perky tone in Shinra's voice almost softens the rage burning inside the blonde.

A small, black cloud peers from her wrist along with her trusty tool of communication. ["What's going on?"]

"Ah, nothing. Shizuo just came for a check-up."

"Yeah." Shizuo takes a deep breath and tries to sound as calm as possible. "I gotta go."

["Are you okay?"]

Shizuo stares at the screen for a moment. "Yeah."

Celty could tell he was lying, but trying to press him to talk would be difficult, especially with Shinra present. She types something else and gives Shinra a look. ["Anything happening today?"]

While Shinra tells Celty about the job she's been asked to do, Shizuo takes the opportunity to excuse himself. The couple waves good-bye, Shinra tells him to "Stop by sometime next week, but not this early!" and closes the apartment door. He steps into the elevator, presses the designated button for the first floor, and leans against the wall. As soon as the doors close, he finds himself thinking about Izaya. Again.

Each thought is burning with hate, passion, anger, and... frustration. "It doesn't mean anything," he tells himself.

"He..." Images of Izaya flash before him. The taste of his lips, the warmth of his body, that fucking grin, the way he moves when he's - -when he's - - goddammit. The doors open. "He means nothing."