A/N: Must… Write… Fluff… Too much seriousness is making me dizzy.

I love angst, but angsty fluff, now that's the stuff.

I've been having a beast of a time writing this chapter but well, it's going on I-don't-know how many weeks and *sighs* you people deserve more loyalty than this. I'm a terrible person...

Enjoy!

Izaya awoke to pain. White hot, pulsing, feverish pain.

It was a moment before he thought to open his eyes. Well, thought, more like could. Everything hurt. Every inch of him felt like it was on fire. As he dragged his lids up Izaya tried to move, only for his body to explode in further pain.

Oh yeah, he knew what this was.

The pheromones in the air choking him didn't let him didn't exactly leave room for doubt.

Blinking slowly, Izaya attempted to keep his labored breaths even. In all his years of being an Omega, subjecting himself to this pain willingly every year, the raven hadn't ever experienced agony this intense. Red spots danced before his eyes and Izaya almost wished he'd just pass out, but he wasn't so lucky.

Something was keeping him awake, something kept dragging him back from the brink of unconsciousness, something that managed to pull a groan from Izaya's chapped lips.

Pheromones, Shizuo's pheromones.

I'm reacting to his scent, ne? That's what's making this so painful. Hah, what a joke. If he'd been in a state to make noise, Izaya would have laughed. In the process of trying to help him, Shizuo had inadvertently made it worse. He was no doctor, but he would have bet money that being at this distance, close enough to continue being affected by Shizuo's pheromones but too far for their naturally soothing qualities to do any good, was what had him in such pain.

Izaya slowly curled in on himself as he whimpered involuntarily and cursed his luck. He just wanted some sleep, he'd been without a good night's rest for a week now. It was your choice to stay here, his brain unhelpfully reminded him. If you'd let him take you home this would all be over by now.

But he hadn't wanted to leave, Izaya had desperately wanted the comfort and care Shizuo had offered. Had put his trust in the Alpha even when all his past screamed at him to run. Now he was shivering, shaking and panting as pain tore through him, and he had no idea what more he could do to make his heat easier.

I've got to do something, it's going to kill me.

Except the only thing he could think of was calling for Shizuo, and he couldn't do that. The only thing the beast could do was mate with him, right? That was the only thing left and Shizuo wasn't going to give in so what was the point of groveling?

Instead, Izaya huddled in the middle of the bed and prayed for unconsciousness.

There was a sudden, faint pulse of coolness that broke through the sweat soaking his skin. Izaya almost moaned, the breath of relief felt so wonderful. The first thing he thought of was Shizuo, and Izaya wondered if somehow, the Alpha had known he was hurting and had soothed his pain without thinking. But that was stupid, illogical, wishful thinking. It didn't matter, Izaya was just grateful for the reprieve.

Then, just as suddenly, the cool relief was torn from him and the pain came rushing back in to fill the silence. The raven felt tears escape his eyes. Cursing his body for taunting him with relief like that, Izaya bit his lip, trying to override the pain, trying to bring himself back under control but it was pointless. He'd spiralled too far already.

I just want Shizuo, I just want him to make it stop.

Time seemed to stretch and bend so Izaya had no idea how much of it had passed before there was another wave of relief, this time a bit stronger. This time he did make a soft noise, unable to stop himself. The feeling lingered for a moment, hanging in the air before once again being dragged from Izaya's reach, leaving him twisting slowly as his mouth hung open in a silent cry of pain.

Why, w-what's going on? He didn't even have the room to feel pathetic. All Izaya wanted was for that wave of calm to return and break the hold of the agony wracking his body. All he wanted was for Shizuo to open that door and make everything feel better. NO! I have to get myself under control. I need to take a deep breath and think but I can't! It hurts.

Except he was Izaya Orihara and dammit if he didn't have more self discipline than this! Yanking his mind back into place was one of the hardest things he'd ever done but the raven did it nonetheless. He still couldn't move, but at least he could think clearly for a moment. The first thing he noticed was the soft creak of the floor and the gentle padding footsteps outside his door. Even though it was nearly impossible, Izaya pushed the pain out of a corner of his mind so he could focus on that faint pattern of footfalls. It took a while to place what he was hearing, given his compromised mental state, but he at last managed.

Shizuo, pacing.

The only thing that makes it stop hurting.

The footsteps got closer and this time, Izaya succeeded in putting two and two together. The moment the idiot blond got to the point closest to Izaya in his path, the pain lessened. Able to catch his breath, the raven yearned to be closer to Shizuo, just so the agony of his heat would leave him alone. Opening his mouth, Izaya attempted to call to his Alpha but couldn't get the words out, couldn't get his throat to cooperate with him. Then the second of relief passed as Shizuo moved away again, sending Izaya back into the arms of pain and twisting torture.

Just stop moving, you stupid Alpha.

Izaya didn't even really care at this point about whatever boundaries he'd wanted to keep between himself and Shizuo. He was ready to beg if it meant the pain would go away. What was one more level of defeat, one more way he was giving in…

Breathing quickening in effort, Izaya forced out the words, "Shizu~chan, help." They were little more than a whisper, hardly audible to him, much less the blond who was a wall away and probably lost in thought. If the Alpha thought at all but that was a discussion for a different day.

"Shizu-chan," he whimpered, louder this time. God, it hurt! Izaya had been through a lot in his life. He'd fallen off buildings, he'd been stabbed, he'd been shot and he'd lived through his heats every year without complaint but this, this was a whole new level of torture. The red spots before his eyes got bigger as he panted, "Please, help me."

Then, as the pain lessened once more, Izaya pushed out, "Shizu-o, please!" He could hear the blond pause and instantly the raven seized on it, pawing his way out of the sheets that were clammy with his sweat and desperately calling, "Help me~ Shizuo it hurts."

I'm pathetic, but it's worth it if it makes the pain go away.

Body throbbing, Izaya let himself fall back to the sheets, gasping for breath. The tears were streaming down his face now, inhibited by the raven, but it was okay, because he could hear Shizuo's footsteps coming closer and a moment later the door swung open, bringing with it a wave of calm and relief.

"Izaya, are you okay?" Shizuo asked, his voice thick and worried. Izaya took a moment to just breathe, just let the pheromones settle over him and calm his heat. It still hurt, but at least he could think straight. I need him to stay, forget keeping a safe distance between us, I'm in pain and I won't let the only source of comfort get away from me.

"No," Izaya said in a very small voice, forcing himself to release his bottom lip, which he'd caught between his teeth at some point. The red had cleared from his vision and he slowly turned to face the blond, who looked like he hadn't slept a bit. "My heat," he mumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed now that he had the room to.

Am I going too far, where's the line? Where do I stop?

"Shit," Shizuo looked at the ceiling and ran a frazzled hand through his hair, gripping it like he wanted to tear it out. Izaya could sense his reluctance as he moved closer, looking down at the raven with concern. "I can't- Izaya, I'm not going to-"

"I'm not asking you to," Izaya muttered bitterly, hating that that was the first thing his Alpha thought of when the raven was in pain. It made sense, and he could hardly blame him, but it still turned Izaya's stomach. Here he was, putting all his trust in Shizuo, and the idiot couldn't even be bothered to return the favor.

"Then what?" Shizuo asked and Izaya could hear how close to coming apart the man really was. God, I'm being irrational. Me being in here, just a door away from him, of course that's the first thing he thinks of. It's probably all he can think of when I'm like this. I've got to be driving him up the wall. Why are we even trying to make this work?

Because neither of us really want anything else?

Running his tongue over chapped lips, Izaya tentatively said, "Just… Stay. Please. I'm not asking for anything more, it's just…" he trailed off and stared at Shizuo. Now that the pain had receded, Izaya reached weakly for the blond, catching his wrist and tugging, hoping Shizuo wouldn't deny him.

He could hear the sigh of defeat, though Izaya would have sworn it was really just a sigh of relief. "Yeah, okay." Shizuo didn't even fight him, he just nudged Izaya over and slid under the sheets next to him.

The bed was small, really, it hadn't been made for two people so set on not touching. Izaya waited until he was pressed up against the wall uncomfortably before giving up and nestling against Shizuo's back. He'd have time for regret later. Later, when he was awake.

I'm just putting things off left and right aren't I?

But, he was prepared to put that off too. Breathing in deeply, Izaya felt warmth spread through him as the blond's scent covered him completely once more, relaxing him. It was almost instantaneous, the heavy settling in his bones, dragging his mind towards sleep so fast Izaya hardly knew what hit him. It was like his body knew something he didn't, and now that it had been appeased, it was willing to let him float.

But he had to say something, because Izaya never could just keep his mouth shut. "You couldn't sleep, could you?" he murmured, his voice muffled by covers, pillows and exhaustion.

"Yeah," Shizuo admitted, the tension in his back slowly releasing. "But it's nothing."

Izaya nodded listingly, before drifting off.

He woke up like he'd fallen asleep, warm, content, safe, and… Well, even half asleep Izaya knew how to nip stupid thoughts in the bud before the had a chance to get out of hand. He knew exactly where he was, but the thought didn't bother him like it had the first time he'd awoken to it. Maybe it helped that he'd had a choice this time, maybe it was because he wanted to stay?

And, maybe it was just instincts. Izaya dearly wished he could just blame this whole interlude on things out of his control, but now that he was awake, and thinking clearly for the first time in forever, he couldn't.

It was weird, how good it felt like this. Sometime in the night Shizuo had turned and curled around Izaya, keeping the Omega close to his chest. Izaya didn't mind the arms loosely encircling him, in fact, he probably liked them too much. Shizuo's pheromones had saturated the air, sinking beneath Izaya's skin to soothe his heat. It was still there, Izaya could feel it in the lethargic chills running through his body, but it had abated.

Or at least, the pain had. Izaya could only hope the hard on he was unfortunately sporting would go unnoticed. Damn hormones. I hate being an Omega.

But, whispered a traitorous voice from the back of his mind. Is this really so bad?

Of course it wasn't now, but Izaya figured he could blame this much on his natural reactions to an Alpha, who was his soul mate no less. It didn't make it any less stupid, but it at least gave Izaya something to cling to. Because right about then, there were a whole lot of things that should have been scaring the raven, but weren't.

Like the fact he was in bed with an Alpha at all and that the walls he'd spent years building up and fortifying were suddenly gone. Izaya kept trying to reason it away, but he couldn't quite make himself believe it. He hadn't imagined the softness in Shizuo's eyes the night before and he definitely hadn't imagined the fact that while he'd been unable to sleep due to pain, the beast had been up pacing for entirely different reasons.

Don't think about it, just drift.

Because right there, wrapped in Shizuo's body and scent, Izaya felt safe. Just the other night he'd been sure the blond couldn't help him, couldn't really make anything okay but here he was, content. As long as Shizuo kept sleeping, Izaya could just lie here and pretend like nothing else but this little bubble of time mattered.

A breath tickled the hair on the top of his head and Izaya squirmed, pressing himself closer into his Alpha. Keeping his eyes closed, Izaya lifted a hand to rest over Shizuo's before going still, perfectly happy to just fall asleep again. Stupid, he knew, but sometimes, Izaya could live with a little stupid…

Suddenly, an electronic tone sounded, shattering the fragile peace. In a second, the perfection that had surrounded Izaya and Shizuo vanished, leaving Izaya to almost whine at its absence. From behind him, Shizuo shifted and the raven was hardly surprised when he moved to put distance between them. It's not like it was good for me anyway, he's just doing us both a favor.

"What's that?" Shizuo muttered groggily, and Izaya could feel the bed creak as he sat up.

When the sound continued, Izaya groaned and muttered, "It's one of my phones, probably." Just ignore it, go back to sleep. I was…

Ah, I was making stupid choices, ne? Rubbing his eyes, irritated that his limbs still weren't cooperating perfectly, the Omega mumbled, "Just let it ring, it's probably not important. They shouldn't be calling this early anyway."

"It's past noon," Shizuo returned with a laugh that was half groan, half mirth. "But if you say so." The phone eventually went to voicemail.

In the meantime, Izaya was regarding the weave of the sheets he lay under with surprise. He'd never been a heavy sleeper and was lucky if he could stay in bed for more than five hours at a time. Even after his heat when he was dead tired, Izaya couldn't stay asleep for more than seven hours. To think he'd actually slept for over nine hours was impressive. It must be because of… "Well," he muttered under his breath, interrupting his own thoughts. "I suppose there's a first time for everything."

Shizuo chuckled, and Izaya found himself smiling. It was almost like they were friends, almost like they were lovers really. The raven didn't want to think about it, but he found himself contemplating it anyway, how casually they acted, even after what they'd been through. If someone had told him just a day ago that he'd be sharing a bed with Shizuo and not be upset about it, Izaya would have told them they were crazy.

Now, well, the raven was pretty convinced that he was the crazy one.

There was a click and a moment later, Izaya found himself hit with the frankly enticing smell of cigarettes. Without letting himself think about it first, the Omega rolled closer towards Shizuo, noting only vaguely when he tensed up. Just let me be sleepy Shizu-chan.

"Your heat isn't over," the blond observed abruptly, drawing Izaya's attention from his own drowsy thoughts to the matter presented before him.

Shifting, Izaya thought about pointing out to the blond that his rut wasn't over either but decided against it. Instead he said, "You're not going to kick me out, are you?" He wasn't worried, but he had to ask all the same. Izaya didn't want to lose this gentle touch now, not when he'd already had to lower himself so much just to admit he wanted it.

"No," Shizuo responded instantly. There. In his voice, there was something. Izaya knew what it was even if he didn't want to believe it, care, compassion, kindness. Instincts. Shizuo just can't see past his own hormones. "You're not leaving until you're better."

Which was a funny way of putting it, and if Izaya had been in a better state, he'd have mocked Shizuo's choice of words. But he wasn't, so he didn't. Probably for the best.

There was a moment of silence, then Shizuo swung his legs out of bed and muttered, "I should probably make you something to eat. It's lunch time after all."

Experiencing the loss of warmth more powerfully than expected, Izaya stifled a whimper and just rolled into the warm depression left by the beast. "I'm not hungry." It was true, Izaya wasn't hungry but then, he was rarely hungry. Eating was generally a waste of time.

"Tough, you're eating something," Shizuo responded, and Izaya could hear the soft thumps as the sleepy beast padded through the room. "You're under my roof and I'm not letting you waste away. You're all skin and bones."

Izaya would have responded, if his phone hadn't gone off again. Shizuo cursed under his breath while the raven just pulled the sheets closer, trying to drown out the noise. He didn't want to deal with anyone right now. Why couldn't they have the decency to get the message the first time?

"Where's your goddamn phone?" Shizuo growled irritably.

Finally poking his head out from under the covers, Izaya answered, "It's in my coat. Probably in one of the inside pockets." It was almost comical to watch Shizuo fumble around with the dark fabric, pawing at it uselessly until he managed to produce a phone. Not the one that was ringing, but a phone. That was something. Progress even!

"How many of these fucking things do you need?" Shizuo grumbled as he went through two more devices before at last finding the one that was buzzing so insistently. Without waiting for Izaya's answer, Shizuo picked up the call and held the slim plastic to his ear. "The hell do you want?"

Well, no one had ever accused Shizuo of dodging the point, had they? Izaya could only hope that whoever was calling wasn't a client. He didn't need word to spread that he, or at least his phone, was in the hands of the monster of Ikebukuro.

Actually, he didn't want anyone to know. There were just some possibilities that were less heinous than others.

From the middle of the room, Shizuo sighed and rubbed his face in exasperation. "Shinra…" Izaya blanched at that name. Well, he was probably screwed. Nevermind that the underground doctor had no business calling him out of the blue like this, the moment Shizuo had answered the phone, Izaya had been screwed. There was no way the Shinra was going to let this one go. Even so, Izaya watched Shizuo's face, hoping for some idea of what the doctor was saying.

Whatever it was had Shizuo annoyed. "Look, it doesn't matter, why are you calling?" Izaya could only watch Shizuo grind his teeth around his cigarette and try not to blow something. "NO!" Well, too late for that… Irritably, Shizuo ran a hand through his hair and quickly amended, "I mean yes." Another drawn look. "Yes then no. Fuck, why do you even care?"

What's that supposed to mean? What is Shinra asking?

Like he couldn't keep still, Shizuo started wandering towards the door. Izaya must have made a noise, because the beast spun quickly and gave him a reassuring look. Awkwardly, Izaya bit his lip and turned around, trying not to feel anxious over whatever Shinra was saying to Shizuo.

From outside the door, Izaya could hear Shizuo mutter, "God, fine, he's at my house. Why the hell-" Whatever else he said was either too soft for Izaya to hear, or had been cut off by Shinra. Izaya could only imagine the sorts of questions the doctor was throwing at Shizuo.

Probably, the doctor was panicking. It was something Shinra tended to do. It didn't help that he was aware that Izaya was an Omega. Given the fact Shinra also knew Izaya was in heat, the raven highly doubted Shizuo's conversation was going to go very far.

"No, he's staying right where he is." Shizuo's words drifted in through the open door. Nervously, Izaya bit down on his lip. He hadn't expected Shinra to insist he leave, but then, what else would the crack doctor do? It made about as much sense as ninety percent of what came out of that man's mouth. "Yeah, I do. I know he's-"

Izaya half wanted Shizuo to come back, just so he could at least hear one half of the conversation, but on the other hand, it made him feel jittery. Shinra had always had a certain… unhinged quality that made him irritating at the best of times. With Shizuo pressuring him, who knew what the Beta would say?

"No! Shit, Shinra who do you think-" If he'd just stop moving, maybe this would be less stressful, Izaya thought, using the wall to help himself struggle upright. For a moment, his vision went blurry as all the blood rushed to his head, then the moment passed and Izaya found himself sagging against the old wallpaper. How long is my damn heat going to last?

Too long. Any amount of time was too long.

"Wait, how the fuck did you know? Am I the only one who didn't know?" Izaya's eyes traveled to the ashtray beside Shizuo's bed and he wondered distantly what it would be like to smoke. Probably better than worrying himself to death. Another, softer part of his mind wondered whether it would taste like the beast, but he shut that little voice up quickly.

"-is over. I'm not letting him out of my sight."

Pulling the covers back over his lap, Izaya swayed slightly as he shifted off the wall. Though he still felt weak, the raven was convinced he felt better. Not quite so puddly and shaky. It was nice, to have at least a modicum of control over his own body. Experimentally, he wiggled towards the edge of the bed, wondering if maybe he could manage standing.

"And who are you to say that?"

As he dangled his limp appendages off the edge of the bed, Izaya noticed how silly he looked, with Shizuo's sweat pants pooling around his ankles, only just held over his feet. If my legs support me, I'll probably just trip over excess fabric. Tentatively, he put one foot on the ground.

"Why?" Shizuo sounded like he was right outside the doorway. Without thinking about it, Izaya started to push himself to his feet.

There was a sigh. "Fine."

Izaya felt his knees buckle under him. Met with a face full of floor, Izaya just sighed and waited. I'm too stubborn for my own good. As expected, Shizuo hurried into the room.

"What the fuck-"

"I was trying to walk." Izaya explained, clawing at the side of the bed in an attempt to pull himself upright. "I failed."

"Well no shit." Huffing, Shizuo scooped Izaya up and set him back down on the bed. Izaya could see the laughter in the beast's eyes battling with concern. Disgruntled, Izaya stuck out his bottom lip in a pout. Shizuo responded with a slight chuckle. "Here," he muttered, seemingly only just remembering the phone in his hand. "Shinra wants to talk to you."

"Oh joy," Izaya muttered, reaching out and gratefully accepting the phone. "Hello?"

"Oh my god, Izaya, are you alright? Did he hurt you? Are you hurt? You're still in heat, why are you at Shizuo-san's house? Are you trying to get yourself jumped?" Shinra's voice came through the phone at a shrieking volume.

Holding his head, already anticipating the headache this conversation would bring him, Izaya answered, "Yes Shinra, I'm fine. I'd be better if you stopped yelling at me." Shizuo still stood by the bed, tense, like he was expecting something bad to happen. Izaya gazed up at him, unsure why he looked nervous. Was it something Shinra had said?

"I'm sorry, I just…" Izaya could almost see Shinra pacing, white lab coat fluttering behind him. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm doing what I think is best Shinra." With a soft sigh, Izaya reached forward and pulled Shizuo down till he was sitting on the bed. 'I don't like you hanging over me', he mouthed, by way of explanation. Whether Shizuo had understood or not, he seemed to get it because he nodded once and stilled his restless movements.

"Well Izaya, I never thought I'd say this but you're an idiot," Shinra hissed. "Tell me what happened?"

"No," Izaya answered simply, not wanting to relive that particular moment ever again. "Why are you calling me?"

"Just a new type of suppressant I've been working on," Shinra muttered, sounding exhausted. "I wanted to have you try them at the end of your heat."

Rolling his eyes, Izaya said, "Well, if that's all then-"

"Don't you dare hang up on me Izaya!" Shinra barked. "That is not all. You shouldn't be at Shizuo-san's house right now. He's rutting and you're in heat-" He paused and Izaya knew what was coming next. "He says you two haven't mated. Why are you even there?"

"Because I'm in pain when I'm anywhere else." Izaya snapped back, feeling his face grow hot. He couldn't believe he was having this conversation with Shinra at all, much less in front of Shizuo, who was looking at him like he either wanted to kill the doctor, or possibly just rip the phone away. Maybe both. Probably both. "Shinra, you've said it yourself. I can't keep taking suppressants like I have been. Eventually, they'll stop working. Maybe this is coping."

"Maybe you're getting yourself into something you aren't ready for." Shinra sounded to be at the end of his rope. "You know perfectly well how your situation is going to end. I don't want to have to be there when he breaks you."

Izaya stared straight ahead, just breathing shallowly, trying not to let how furious he was show on his face. Not with Shizuo next to him, already looking like he wanted to tear out someone's throat. Half hoping to relax the beast, half hoping to relax himself, Izaya leaned back against Shizuo's chest and closed his eyes. "I'll be fine Shinra," Izaya insisted, doing his best to sound flippant. "He's just an A-"

"He's your soulmate!" Shinra snapped. "I've run blood tests on both of you in the past," he continued, more calmly now. "I found out a long time ago."

"What have I told you about running tests on me?" Izaya asked, voice deadly quiet. He was glad, in a way, that this was over the phone. He could be a lot scarier when Shinra didn't know he couldn't sit upright without help.

"Izaya, I'm only looking out for you." Shinra insisted. "Right now, you're not thinking clearly. He's rutting, you're in heat. You're soul mates. Things happen."

"Ah but nothing has happened," Izaya was beyond ready for this conversation to be over. "Stop being ridiculous Shirna. Goodby-"

"Fine, I'll leave you alone," Shinra finally bursted, irritably. "But I'm warning you, because you're around your soulmate, your heat will probably last a few days longer than it should. This kind of thing is more intense when you're around your mate. So just so we're clear, it's not my fault if you do something you regret." The line went dead.

Izaya let the phone fall to his lap, his mind processing what Shinra had just said. So this might not be as easy as I had hoped. Just my luck.

"Izaya?" Shizuo rumbled. "Is everything okay?"

Laughing wryly, Izaya shook his head and muttered, "You know what, food sounds excellent. Why don't you go make lunch?"

Because there was no way he was going to tell Shizuo what Shinra had told him.

A/N: You see that? There, in the distance!

That's called plot development. It and I, we don't get along.

If you want to see the first part of Izaya's perspective from Shizuo's perspective as well, make sure to let me know. I'm not planning on it but hey, my plans can change.

Until next time my beautiful readers~