Nothing's perfect

A/N:- Thank you for the reviews and onto the next chapter. Enjoy.

Hospital was boring. Since he was no longer pregnant, he could use his strength again and leave. If not for the promise he had made. The clock had been conveniently removed, if there was ever one there. The wallpaper underneath was a darker shade. Maybe it had been done before everything. Or maybe his lover or someone else had removed it to ease his temperament, knowing the constant ticking would only piss him off.

"Shizu-chan?" Ah, that was right he had been awake for a long time. The drip in his arm was gone, but he was still stuck in the hospital gown, waiting to be discharged. Now that he was finally in hospital, his doctors were reluctant to let him leave. His lover was in the chair next to the bed, a very light sleeper at the moment. "Is something wrong?"

"Couldn't sleep." He couldn't relax, all the sounds around him, kept him on edge. Shizuo just wanted to go home. "The doctors said you should rest." Shrugging his shoulders, he looked at the other side of the bed, where their baby lay fast asleep in a small bed. His fingers twitched, needing to get out. A slim hand covered his own, keeping them still. "Just a bit longer."

He knew it was too long, when everyone he knew began to visit him. Even so, it kept him busy. "Shizuo." He smiled seeing Izaya's family at the door. "Are you up to visitors?" Nodding his head, he watched them shuffle in, closing the door. "I'll be back in a sec." His lover quickly slipped out of the door. Most likely to get more coffee.

The twins gathered around the small bed, looking down at the sleeping baby. "So she's our niece." Kururi pulled out her phone, only for it to be taken away. "No phones in the hospital." The younger girl sighed, looking up at him. "...small..." Shizuo smiled, knowing what she meant. "Yeah, she was born three weeks early."

"...cute..." Mairu nodded in agreement. "Yeah. What colour eyes does she have?" Moving to get out of bed, he paused checking the door. "The same colour as Izaya." Who wasn't back yet. "Girls, why don't you go and find your brother?" The twins left leaving him and his parents in law together. "How are you feeling?" Kyouko was looking straight through him. A bit like someone else. "Bored."

Shirou grinned. "No doubt you'll be out soon." Yeah, hopefully. "She's beautiful. You called her Emi, right?" How did they know that? Kyouko smiled as if she knew what he was thinking. "Izaya called us." Oh! The door opened again, all three Oriharas entering the room. "We found him." His lover moved back to the chair, holding out one of the takeaway cups. "Thanks." He could smell the hot chocolate. "Careful, it's hot."

"So a girl. The doctor got that one wrong." He noticed the older man's fingers twitch and knew he was craving a cigarette. "Did you decorate the room?" No they hadn't, for some reason, it hadn't felt right and now he knew why. "It's been done. Everything is ready when we go home." How had Izaya managed that? It wasn't long after that his future family left, saying that it wasn't fair on the other visitors.

"Shizu-Shizu!" The next ones in were his workmates, the rest of his team. Karisawa went straight to his side, throwing her arms around him. "You're okay! Me and Dotachin saw you on the CCTV." Ah, as he had thought. Even as she spoke, he noticed the way she clung to Walker. "Congratulations, Shizuo, Izaya." Taking a sip of his hot chocolate, he watched the two teens in the room. "Wow. She's going to be a looker." Trust Kida. The usually quieter of the two, whacked him across the back of the head.

He had barely started maternity leave and already he had given birth and seen everyone again. His hospital room was now full of cards, both congratulations and get well soon. He had another vase for the rest of the flowers and the boxes of chocolates he had received were stacked up by the bed. It made everything slightly more comfortable.

But nothing compared to Shinra coming back, holding a clipboard. He wondered if the hospital had realized they had an extra doctor yet. "Shizuo, your test results came back normal, all your signs are stable. You can go home." It was the best news he had heard. "But-" damn it. "If you feel the tiniest bit different. You call me immediately." Seeing the look Izaya was giving him, he nodded his head. "Good. If you can sign these..." He was finally going home.

By the time he was ready, the room had already been emptied. His gifts and cards were in the boot of the car, parked outside. Reaching for the last item of clothing, he pulled the jumper over his head, glad when it fit over his stomach. It was no longer swollen, but he knew he probably had baby weight. Taking his coat from his lover, he slipped that on, noting that it was a perfect fit. Someone had been shopping again.

At last he was ready, their little girl cradled protectively in his arms, dressed as well as he was to keep warm. "Let's go." He didn't look back as he left, glad to be out of the place. The rose baby seat in the back of the car was new. His lover was the one who strapped her in. Not wanting to leave her alone, Shizuo climbed in the back instead of the passenger seat. Izaya didn't seem surprised, knowing he would do it.

The drive home seemed to irritatingly drag, to the point he never thought they would get there. Every single traffic light teased him by turning red as they reached it, idiots tried to run across when the lights did turn green. Didn't they know he could use his strength again? Glancing down at Emi, he felt his irritation drain completely. Everything was worth it for their daughter.

When they finally reached home, he was the last one out. He watched as Izaya fiddled with the straps, a plastic handle coming up and their daughter was lifted out of the car. Shaking his head, he followed, closing the car door behind him. He was finally home. He would need to call Kasuka, he hadn't seen him or his parents yet.

Instead of resting, Shizuo ran upstairs, unlocking and relocking the baby gates as he went. He needed to see what Izaya had done. Pushing open the door, he felt his mouth drop open. The walls were a soft pink, the curtains a slightly different shade. Silver stars ran across the walls, each varying in size. A single shelf had been put up, his baby shower gifts, sat aligned along it. A soft white carpet had been put down, even through his socks, he could feel it.

In the centre of the room was the cot Kyouko and Shirou had brought them. The original blue blanket had been replaced with a pink one. He almost didn't notice the moon shaped night light, near the plug socket. Placed in the corner of the room was a small wardrobe, most likely full of clothes. Stepping into the centre of the room , his fingers gently stroked one of the stars on the mobile and he knew that's where the idea came from. Pink and blue. Everything had been kept, nothing had been thrown away.

"What do you think?" He hadn't heard Izaya come up the stairs. "It's perfect." Slim arms wrapped around his waist, his daughter by their feet in the carrier. "I was hoping you'd say that. There's something else, but it's not dark yet." Shrugging his shoulders, he turned around, returning the embrace. "Thank you." He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, in each other's arms. He was home.

"Do you want anything to eat?" Shaking his head, Shizuo continued standing up. "Aren't you going to sit down?" Again he shook his head. "I've spent too long resting." His lover sighed. "A bath?" That sounded like a great idea. "Yeah. I couldn't use the hospital showers." He knew Izaya was going to run it for him, so he held up a hand. "I can run a bath." Besides the flea looked like he was the one who needed to rest. "Alright. Call me if you need anything."

Taking his time to get undressed, Shizuo rejoiced in climbing into the bath again, letting his body slide into the water. It was heaven. Looking down he could see a clear view of the water, instead of the bump that had only gotten bigger in less than nine months. Stretching his legs out, he felt himself relax completely. Everything could finally get back to normal.

A knock at the door made him open his eyes, trying to figure out which door his lover was knocking on. The one outside or the connected to the bedroom. Seconds later the one to the bedroom opened. "Everything okay?" Sighing in bliss, he looked up. "Yeah. Do you want to join me? There's more than plenty of room."

"No. It's fine. I'll look after Emi." The door closed. Shaking his head, he went back to his bath, tilting his head back. What was that about? Since he had regained consciousness his lover had been silent and a lot more authoritative in regards to his health. He couldn't see anything past that haunted look and it made him realize just how close he had come to never waking up.

The thought that he might have died and left Izaya and Emi alone, chilled him to the bone, making his hot bath feel like ice. He couldn't begin to guess how that would make his lover feel, but it looked like it had done some damage. No longer feeling relaxed, he climbed out of the bath and drained the water. He needed to be with his two most important people right now.

The scar he should have got if he had a c-section wasn't there, for that he was glad. Brushing his hair out of the way, Shizuo smiled. Everyone was right, he could do it. He had given birth to a healthy girl. Wrapping a towel around himself he redone his breast pads and stepped out into the bedroom, bouncing on the balls of his feet. It felt great to have freedom of movement again.

His clothes were set out on the bed for him, neatly folded. The jeans fit him perfectly, the t-shirt slightly baggy to give him room. Izaya was on the sofa, holding their little girl. "Enjoy your bath?" Grinning widely, he took a seat on the sofa, leaning his head on Izaya's shoulder. "Yeah. Has she been good?" His finger moved gently down her cheek.

"she's still asleep, the calm before the storm?" They spoke in hushed tones. "Looks like it." One hand threaded through his now stupidly long hair. "What about you? Everything okay?" He didn't want to see the haunted look in those eyes. "Yeah, I'm just glad to be home." The reply came out mumbled, nearly missing it. "So am I."

Shizuo felt his mouth become dry, his lips sticking together. "Sorry." A set of knuckles softly rapped the top of his head. "Let's forget about it. You gave birth safely." Letting out a sigh, he closed his eyes. Silence filled the room around them, a comforting sense of calm in the air, the only thing that could be heard was the quiet breathing of himself, Izaya and Emi.

Once it had become dark enough, his lover took his hand, leading him upstairs. Shizuo wasn't comfortable leaving their baby alone in her bedroom to sleep. Even if it was a staircase away, it was still too far. Still their little girl slept, making him begin to worry, was it normal? Following Izaya into the bedroom, his eyes tried to adjust to the darkness.

"Lay down, Shizu-chan." He did as he was told, handing Emi over. Underneath him he could feel the softness of the carpet, the fur like fibres tickling the back of his neck. He felt a weight on his chest, his hands gently holding their baby in place. Shizuo could feel his lover move around in the darkness, the soft glow of the night light now gently lighting the room.

It wasn't long before a soft lullaby tune played out, Izaya finally laying down next to him. "Watch." Each individual star lit up along the walls, casting slow moving patterns, that made him feel relaxed. Gazing up at the ceiling, he thought he saw a twinkle. One by one specks on the ceiling glinted, until he thought he was looking up at the night sky. "That's amazing." Not that he wanted to stroke Mr god complex's ego. But wow.

What Izaya had done to the room, made him feel sleepy, his eyes slipping. That was until a loud cry pierced the air and his eardrums. Their moment of reprieve was over. "I'll handle it." Emi was plucked from his chest and carried from the room. Letting out a sigh, he closed his eyes, letting the last notes of the lullaby send him to sleep.

Shizuo found himself roughly shaken awake, his eyelids fluttering open in confusion. "Shizu-chan! Shizu-chan!" His lover called his name in unrestrained panic. "What?" He was still on the floor in Emi's room. Izaya's head was on his chest, slim shaky fingers wrapped around his wrist. With shock he realised what the flea was doing. A pulse. He was looking for his pulse. "Izaya. I'm fine."

He was ignored completely, reaching up he began to play with his lover's hair. "I'm fine." It look a while before Izaya calmed down and once he did, they were alerted by a loud cry next to them. "I'll get her." Once again, Emi was handled by Izaya, leaving him with nothing to do.

Getting up with ease, Shizuo followed the path that Izaya had taken, finding him in the bathroom, cleaning the changing mat. "Shizu-chan, you should go and rest." Now that there was some light, he could see that he wasn't the only one. "She needs feeding, right?" With a sigh his lover moved her into his arms. "If you need anything..."

He should have expected it, everything had already been done, while he had been in recovery, Izaya had brought everything they needed and had the room decorated. Picking up one of the made up bottles, he noted that it was already warm. Testing a drop on his hand, he brought the tip to the tiny mouth.

The same routine carried on, meaning he barely had any contact and was constantly told to rest. When he did wake up, it was to a panicking Izaya. Now he was becoming worried. He had yet to call his brother and to sort himself out. But something told him not to leave his lover alone for a single second.

The third day in Izaya collapsed. It was dinner time, so while he was feeding Emi, his lover was cooking for the two of them. A clatter of pans made him jump. "Izaya?" When he didn't get an answer he went to check. His heart stopped seeing him sprawled unconscious on the floor. "Fuck!" Using his free hand, he switched everything off, poking at his lover's cheek, then slapping him a bit harsher than he meant to. "Flea, wake up!" He didn't get an answer. Quickly going for the phone, he speed dialled Shinra. "Damn it. Pick up." After the third ring, the phone was answered. Hello?

"Shinra. Can you come over? Izaya collapsed." The small bundle in his arms began to cry. I'll be there shortly. Hanging up, he returned the phone to the hook. "Ssh. There's a good girl." Cradling her against his chest, he began to gently pat her back. "Damn it flea. You better be okay."

"It's exhaustion." He was currently in the bedroom with Shinra, Izaya was still unconscious tucked under the covers. He was standing by the end of the bed, cradling a now sleeping baby. Celty was next to him a hand on his shoulder. "By the looks of things, he hasn't been sleeping." Shizuo nodded. "Izaya has been acting wired lately. He keeps telling me to rest and when I do, he tries to wake me up."

"He almost lost you, Shizuo. It's expected that there would be some side effects. My guess is that he hasn't slept since then." That couldn't be right, he had seen his lover asleep by his bedside... Unless he had been pretending. He wouldn't put it past him. Besides that he had noticed Izaya had been overdosing on coffee. "Make sure he gets plenty of rest. Use these if you have to."

Shizuo took the box of sleeping pills, not saying a word. If it was him, Izaya would have noticed, would've put an end to things before they got too bad. But he hadn't. Shizuo had sensed something wasn't right, but hadn't done anything about it. "Yeah. I'll keep an eye on him." Showing Emi's other two god parents out, he closed the door, returning to his sleeping lover.

Padding over to Izaya, he gently caressed his lover's cheek. "Sorry. I should've done something." Emi began to fidget and he knew it was time to leave the room. Silently he stepped outside, carefully pulling the door closed, hearing a soft click. Shizuo knew he couldn't let Izaya take over doing everything. He was a mother now, he would do his part.

The bottles and formula were on the kitchen side, the changing mat was in the bathroom, the clothes were all neatly folded in the bedroom. It had been a week now since he had given birth. He felt like he had done nothing. Along with the changing mat, he found a small pink plastic bath. Lowering his daughter onto the changing mat, he began to fill the pink bath with warm water.

Celty had taught him how to top and tail, whilst Shinra had warned him about keeping the umbilical stump clean. After taking the warm baby grow off, he found out that he didn't have to worry about the doctor's warning, it was already gone. Gently lifting Emi into the bath, he kept her in one strong hand, whilst he took out some cotton wool.

Izaya continued to sleep, even as he climbed into bed, their daughter resting on his chest. He wasn't going to leave either of them alone. Shizuo shuffled down the bed, one hand keeping Emi safely on him, his head resting on the flea's shoulder. His lover slept for just over twenty six hours, he didn't wake up even when crying filled the room. "Stupid flea. Hurry and wake up."

Shizuo grinned stupidly as he felt movement next to him. About time. Emi was asleep against him, so he gently lay her on the bed covers. Izaya waking up was cute, but it was rare to see it since the flea would always be awake first. Eyelids twitched, soft lips moving as if they couldn't decide an expression and then he found himself looking into crimson eyes. "Good morning, Shizu-chan." Being careful not to jostle the bed he threw his arms around that slim neck.

"What's wrong?" Shaking his head, he clung tighter. "Ow that hurts. Calm down, Shizu-chan. What time is it?" Loosening his grip, Shizuo looked away, staring down at the sleeping baby. "You've been asleep for twenty six hours." Silence filled the room. "Oh!" More silence. "So I collapsed?" He nodded his head wordlessly. "Sorry." Shaking his head, he found he couldn't speak. A warm hand rested on his shoulder. "Were you worried? Shizu-chan." The flea spoke with a wwide grin, as if it was a joke.

"You're an asshole." His lover shook his head. "Language, Shizu-chan. You're setting a bad example to our little girl." Letting out a sigh, he moved Emi back onto his chest, shuffling down the bed. "Whatever. I'm going to sleep." He had worried over nothing. "Don't wake me up this time." Gentle fingers threaded through his hair. "I know. You're still here protozoan."

Using one hand, he took out one of the pillows underneath him and swatted Izaya with it. "Ow! That's not nice." Neither was the cry that pierced his ears. "You woke her up." Neither one of them would be getting any sleep now. "I'll take her." Shaking his head he glared at his lover. "You've just woken up." Izaya shrugged. "You haven't slept yet."

Shizuo was already up, trying to calm Emi down. "Rock paper scissors?" He grit his teeth. "You'll cheat. I know you." The flea innocently held up his hands. "No I won't." Letting out a sigh, he fisted one of his hands. "Fine. On the count of three." Izaya was grinning. "One. Two. Three." They both had scissors. "Oh, looks like its a draw."

Bouncing Emi gently on his hip, he held out his hand. "Best two out of three. One. Two. Three." They both had paper. "You're doing this on purpose." His lover shrugged, climbing out of bed. "It's still a draw." Shizuo pulled his hand away, supporting their baby with both hands. "I can't tell which one of you is the baby."

"That's not nice. Hm, looks like we're both doing it then." Looks like it. "I'll change her." His lover had his arms behind his back, balancing in the balls of his feet. "I'll get her bottle ready. Oh! Shizu-chan?" Turning around, soft lips pressed against his own. "Sorry for making you worry." Shizuo could feel his face heat up, raising a palm to cover it. Damn it. Why was everything so easy for Izaya? Quickly he made his way to the bathroom. "Let's get you changed."

Next:- Maternity leave