Thinking forward

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

"Emi, put that down!" Shizuo rushed forward, taking his phone away. His little girl was now at the stage where she liked to put things in her mouth. Stupidly he had left his phone on the floor, within reach. "Give it back, that's mummy's phone." He received a giggle in reply. Taking the device away, he groaned seeing saliva over the screen.

Putting it where she couldn't reach, Shizuo sat on the carpet. Emi rolled onto her stomach, lifting her head to look up at him. Wide crimson eyes stared at him, a small smile on that cute face. He was beginning to suspect that she had picked that look up from Izaya, she usually smiled when she wanted something or if she was about to do something wrong. "What are you up to?"

Lifting her up, he repeatedly kissed the tiny tummy, hearing a loud happy squeal. "Ooh, someone needs changing." At that point his lover came down the stairs, grinning widely. "Shizu-chan, it's my turn." They had begun taking it in turns, so neither of them got exhausted. "Is Emi happy to see daddy?" Shizuo handed her over, smiling as Izaya wrinkled his nose. "Again? I saw that smile, Shizu-chan. Up we go."

He had two hours to himself, whilst Mr god complex took over, then it would be Izaya's turn to rest. Over the monitor he could hear his daughters coos and giggles, along with his lover baby speaking. Laying on the bed, he reached for the remote. The television had been moved to the bedroom, in case the damn thing fell. He didn't want anything that could harm his baby girl. So of course the first thing to go, was his fiancé's knife.

Reaching under the bed, Shizuo pulled out the book from underneath the bed. It was one that Kyouko had given him, when he had asked several questions. Izaya had his notebook, he had his basic guide. It didn't give him any definite times. Turning to where he read what it said. 3-5 months starts reaching for things.

Emi was close to five months. 4-6 months starts making noises. Well she was doing that just fine. Resisting the urge to turn the page, Shizuo closed the book, returning it to where it was hidden. Laying back against the fluffed pillows he turned on the tv, keeping the volume low. He was asleep within seconds.

Shizuo groaned, turning his head as his nose was grabbed. Damn it Izaya. A loud squeal told him who was trying to wake him up. Opening his eyes, he looked down at Emi lying on his chest, drool slipping down her chin. His lover was sitting on the bed, keeping an eye out, in case she rolled off of the bed. "Your turn, Shizu-chan." He noticed the television had been turned off. "Two hours already?"

In answer, his lover held out Emi's bottle. He watched as she tried shuffling around back towards Izaya. Stopping her from moving, Shizuo rolled his little girl onto the bed, where she kicked her tiny legs, grabbing hold of her toes. "A-ba." Sharing a glance with Izaya, he could see that his lover was smiling. "Are you trying to talk?" Emi only giggled. Taking the bottle, he held it above his little girl, just within reach.

At six months, Emi was ready to move onto solids. The day before Izaya had ordered the high chair. Shizuo was anxious, since he had gotten used to feeding Emi with a bottle. His little girl could drink by herself now, tiny hands holding the bottle. So when the doorbell rang, he glanced down at Emi, who was looking at the door. "Ada" letting out a sigh at the sound, the blond got up and answered the door.

Signing for the delivery, he balanced Emi on his hip. Shizuo picked up the package with ease in one hand. His lover was out of the house, since Kyouko had called him. Closing the door with his foot, he carefully lowered his little girl onto the floor. The box was placed face down on the floor, so she couldn't reach it, or knock it down.

Keeping an eye on her, the blonde pulled out a crate of quickly building toys. Everyone loved Emi and loved spoiling her, including Izaya, who was the worst culprit. Taking out the play mat, he held it up. "Emi, do you want to play with this?" Laying it out on the floor, he watched his little girl roll onto it. The mat had the alphabet spread over it in yellow and blue. Putting the plastic frame down, he unstrapped the dangling rattle and small mirror. Instantly she reached for it.

It gave him time to unwrap the parcel, lifting out the pink and white high chair. Placing it on the floor, Shizuo pushed it back, not trusting it to hold her. Along with the high chair their was a set of pink plastic spoons and a small dish. "Ada aba!" Looking up he could see his little girl, trying to shuffle forward like a caterpillar. She had been doing it more frequently.

Still if something did go wrong, he would make sure the creator paid for it. His eyes widened as Emi pushed herself up, trying to move forward. It ended with a soft thud and a loud cry, but he knew that within a matter of days his daughter would be crawling. Never had he felt so proud. "Good girl." Picking up the fallen dummy, he made sure it was clean, before handing it back. "Do you want this?"

It was taken out of his held out palm, Emi wrapping tiny fingers around the dummy and putting it back in her mouth. Shizuo sat down, cross legged, smiling as his little girl, flopped onto his lap. "You'll be crawling soon. Mummy's so proud of you." Yes, if Izaya could baby talk, so could he, besides his little girl liked it.

Laying her down on her back, Shizuo placed a hand underneath and gently lifted her up. As usual her knees were bent, hands in her lap as she sat up. Slowly moving his hand, Emi stayed upright, making him smile. She could sit up on her own no problem.

When it was time to feed her, Shizuo glanced anxiously at his phone. He had wanted to go through everything with Izaya, but his lover wasn't back yet. Emi frowned, reaching out to him. "Baba." Gently lifting her into his arms, he let out a sigh. "You want your bottle?" He would have to do it without Mr god complex. "Baba."

Carrying her over to the high chair, he stared at it blankly. "Today you're a big girl." He stared down anxiously at the chair, but Emi only giggled and reached for the new object in the room, her fingers brushing the pink plastic. Gently Shizuo lowered her into the seat, fitting the straps over her tiny arms. "Eh he aba."

Smiling as she slapped at the plastic, he slowly backed away, walking around the chair, to check it was safe. His little girl was sitting upright and seemed just fine. Both of them looked at the door as they heard the key in the lock. "Shizu-chan, Emi I'm home." About time. He noticed that his lover looked tired, dropping his briefcase. He had brought work home again.

Crimson eyes lit up, seeing them both in the room. Shizuo watched as he shrugged off his jacket, bouncing in front of Emi, who reached out and giggled. "Did you miss daddy? Emi. Do you like your chair?" The flea backed away with a grin. "I'll get your food." The blond watched him, noticing he wasn't as happy as he usually was. Keeping an eye on the giggling baby, he grabbed one of the bibs Erika had brought.

As he expected Emi reached up and tried to pull it off, her tiny fingers gripping onto the orange outline. "You can't take that off." It wasn't long before Izaya was back, holding a small pot of yoghurt. "Let's try this first shall we?" The lid had already been peeled off. "Everything okay at work?"

"Yeah, nothing important." Handing over the small pink spoon, he watched his lover scoop some out onto the spoon. A tiny hand reached forward trying to grab it. "No, open wide." Shizuo smiled as Izaya tried to get the spoon close to her mouth. "Oh dear. You try Shizu-chan." Taking the spoon, he held it out, his little girl opening her mouth. "Oh I see. You want Shizu-Chan to feed you." Mr god complex folded his arms, with a pout, clearly sulking.

Emi's cute little face scrunched up, before the mouthful of yoghurt ended up over the bib, a loud cry filling the room. "What did you give her?" Izaya took back the pot, turning it to show him the strawberry. "You like strawberry." The blond took a clean part of the bib to wipe his baby's mouth. "She doesn't like it. Let's try another flavour." His fingers were gripped before he had a chance to move away. "Aba aba!"

"She wants her bottle." His coffee eyes met Izaya's crimson. Both of them thinking the same thing. "We...could try again another time." Emi stopped crying and looked up at them, giving them an innocent look. The same one he had seen from both Izaya and Kyouko. Shit. He was helpless when it came to his daughter. "Okay, you can have your bottle." His reply was a happy giggle. "Just like your father."

A lot happened at six and a half months. As parents they quickly found out that Emi hated strawberry and loved peach. Anything to do with the fruit or flavour she would happily eat. When Izaya brought back ootoro, she would scrunch her nose up at the smell. It seemed like him, she had a sweet tooth.

His little girl began to get more cranky and cried a lot. It was Izaya who stuck his finger in her mouth, clapping loudly. "She's teething, look Shizu-chan her baby teeth are coming through." It was tiny and barely visible, but it was there and he was happy she wasn't getting ill as he had first thought. "Where's that rattle? She can chew on it."

Unstrapping Emi from her high chair, Shizuo held her to his chest, before lowering her to the floor, where she began crawling across the carpet. It hadn't taken long for her to learn and now she moved around like a rocket, heading straight to her box of toys. "Did you remember to close all of the gates?" His lover sighed. "It was once Shizu-chan. Look all closed."

The first time Emi had started crawling they were caught off guard, leaving the baby gate at the stairs swing open. Shizuo had panicked turning around to see her halfway up the stairs giggling loudly. Luckily Izaya was in his office and had come out to get her. Since then he had become strict on health and safety.

Taking a seat on the sofa, he watched as his little girl shot across the room, pulling out the rattle she wanted and began chewing on the soft rubber. Things were changing. Emi was quickly growing up and soon his maternity leave would be over. They hadn't discussed what would happen. He had no intention of staying home, but he didn't want to rely on a babysitter. Glancing at Izaya, he wondered what he should do.

Shizuo only became more anxious as the days passed by, they seemed to be getting quicker, Emi could now pull herself up using the furniture, before falling back down. "Shizu-chan. What's wrong?" Looking up, he watched as his lover climbed into the bed. "Hm? I'm thinking." About the future. "Don't hurt yourself. Emi has fallen asleep."

"Good. She'll be walking soon." Crimson eyes watched him, once again Izaya had realised something was bothering him. "What are you worried about now?" Slim arms wrapped around him, pulling him closer. "I need to go back to work soon. I don't want to leave her alone." Long fingers began to play with his hair. "That's something you don't need to worry about. There's a few months left yet." The blond sighed, closing his eyes. It didn't ease his worries.

As eight months approached, an idea formed in his mind. Because he knew they wouldn't be able to handle work and a child. Already he could see the strain on his lover, now that he had gone back to work and still came home and tried to help out. Once he went back to work things would only get worse. Letting out a sigh, he closed the photo album in his lap, returning it to where it came from. They were on their third one already. Taking out his phone, his thumb hovered over the call button. "Damn it."

"Shizu-chan." Looking up from where he was feeding Emi, his lover gave him a peck on the lips. "See you later. Daddy is going to work now, Emi." Their little girl giggled in reply, her sticky fingers reaching for him. Luckily Mr god complex had the sense to stand back. Once he heard the door close, Shizuo went back to feeding the still teething baby.

Today he was expecting visitors. So when the door bell rang, he knew immediately who it was. Quickly picking up the spilled toys, the blond locked the gate, leaving Emi where she was sleeping on the soft carpet. As expected it was Shiki. But instead of the two bodyguards, Akabayashi was with him. "Hanejima no nee-chan. How have you been?"

Ah, they were the same as usual, both his old boss and his old colleague. "Busy. Thank you for coming to see me, you didn't have to." The cold feeling that Shiki used to leave had lessened, maybe because there was a child in the room. "Shizuo Heiwajima, its not wise to bring your daughter with you to the club. I don't mind making house visits."

Shizuo smiled, it was Shiki who had said he would come and see him. "Thank you. You said a while back to come to you if I wanted my job back. Does that offer still count?" Emi began fidgeting and he knew she would be waking up soon. "Is there something wrong between you and Orihara?" Shaking his head, he stood up, lifting Emi up and holding her to his chest. "No everything is fine. I was hoping to work nights, that way we wouldn't need a babysitter."

Shiki tilted his head slightly. "I have no problem giving you your job back." The blond winced as his hair was pulled. "Aba aba." Untangling her tiny fingers from his hair, he settled her on the sofa. What he didn't expect was the little girl to wriggle out of his arms ans run three steps before falling over, she then picked her self back up and crawled in front of the two other men in the room.

"Well isn't she a lively one. Do you mind?" Shizuo shook his head. "Go ahead." He watched as Akabayashi picked her up. "Aren't you adorable." As if she understood, Emi giggled, reaching for the hand crafted cane. "When would you want to start again?" Taking his eyes off of his daughter, he turned back to Shiki. "I have a month left of maternity leave. After that I'm not sure. I have to talk to Izaya." Shiki nodded, taking Emi away from Akabayashi, where she happily sat in his lap, trying to pull the chain at his neck. "Oh sorry." His old and future boss shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Its fine. You can't blame a child for their curiosity." Shizuo blinked in disbelief, his little girl had softened the two men in an instant, no that wasn't right, they were like that in the first place.

It was nearly an hour later before Shiki and Akabayashi left, his future boss writing the contract up there and then. It was held tightly in one hand, while he closed the door. How was he going to explain this to Izaya? "Aba aba." Shizuo shook his head, turning his attention to his little girl. "Are you hungry?"

That night, he tried to bring the conversation up again. "Hey, Izaya. About next month..." His lover pulled him close, brushing their lips together. "I told you not to worry about it." Shizuo felt his face heat up, even as he pulled away. "I know, but-" A finger was pressed against his lips. "Shh! Emi is sleeping, we finally have some alone time." Damn it. "Iza-"

His hips were already bucking up as Izaya kissed him, that sinful tongue stealing his voice and energy. Mr god complex wasn't going to listen to him. As usual he would try and fix everything. Giving in, he pulled his shirt over his head, moving his legs apart, so the flea could move into him. "You're mine, Shizu-chan."

The small piece of paper remained in his pocket unsigned. He had tried again and again to explain to Izaya, but his lover gently shrugged him off every time. Time had run out. That morning he was woken up by Izaya. "Shizu-chan time for work." Rolling out of bed, Shizuo debated between getting in the shower or waking Emi up for her breakfast. "Go and shower."

By the time he was ready, both his lover and daughter were waiting for him. "Where are we taking Emi?" Mr god complex smiled. "She's coming with us." He knew now that he had made the right decision. Right next to the contract in his pocket was a white envelope, in the centre was Izaya carefully handwritten in black ink. "Ready? Shizu-chan."

It had been a long time since he had seen TGOI. As he climbed out, taking Emi's push chair from the boot, he looked up to see his current workmates standing outside waiting for him. Kadota, Erika, Walker, Mikado and Kida. All of them waved at him. Mixed feeling swirled in his heart, unstrapping his daughter from her baby seat and grabbing the bag.

Walking ahead of Izaya, he pushed the push chair to meet them. "Shizu-Shizu! Kadota quickly clamped a hand over the otaku's mouth, since Emi was dozing quietly. "Its good to see you." Looking over his shoulder, he could see Izaya walking towards them. "See you at lunch, Shizu-chan." With a smile he followed his workmates in, finding his desk as he had left it. "Emi's gotten big."

Putting on the brake, Shizuo took his seat, turning on his computer for the first time in nine months. "Yeah, she's a lot more active." He smiled as he filled his workmates in on Emi's progress, all the time the two documents felt like a large and heavy stone in the bottom of his pocket. Could he really leave TGOI and go back to Artic? He knew everyone would still keep in touch, but they were like a family to him and what about Izaya? How would he take it? "Shizuo?

He could see the concern in Kadota's face. Damn it. Switching on his computer, he waited for it to load. "Sorry, it's been a while." Mikado caught his attention. "You shouldn't have much to do, we can help out." Shizuo felt a tap on his arm, turning to look at the younger blond, he could see Kida wasn't looking at him. "I think she's waking up." Sure enough a loud cry filled the office. The day had barely begun.

Next:- Fatal argument