54. She sometimes wishes Gene was still with her. Until he finally let go of this world and faded into the next, she never fully understood all he'd done for her. Not only had he taught her how to utilize her abilities to their full potential, he'd done his best to keep the worst of the nightmares at bay. He kept her safe that way, and when he was gone, so was that guidance. That safety-net.
When she opens her eyes, her cheeks are wet and someone's holding her hand. She doesn't recognize the ceiling and she definitely feels a crick in her neck, but when she lifts her head, she sees Shizuo. He's sitting on the floor between the sofa she's lying on and a nearby coffee table, slumped forward with his head resting on the cushion next to her. Her breath catches in her throat at the unexpected proximity, and it takes her several moments to remember how and why she's here.
She'd told Shizuo last night that she needed to go home and sleep, and then he'd offered to let her stay at his place-just to crash, don't worry-because it was closer and it would save her a trip back to Shinjuku. After that, it's all pretty blank, just her stumbling through an open door and passing out on the nearest piece of furniture in view, apparently the sofa.
Had he stayed with her all night? He raises his head in surprise as she brushes a hand over his hair, and she apologizes for waking him.
"You okay?"
She swallows. "Got any tea?"
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Author's Notes: ….I really don't have anything to say. Except I guess, I like this one. It's not my favorite chapter to have written so far (and now that I write that, I don't really know which one is), but I like this one.
Ghost Hunt is owned by Fuyumi Ono and Shiho Inada.
Durarara! is owned by Ryohgo Narita, Suzuhito Yasuda, and Akiyo Satorigi.