The soft tick of a clock in the hall and a dull thrum from Shizuo rapping his fingers along the side table was the only sound in the room. Celty stood in the corner, watching silently as prepared to examine Shizuo. A scrap of the pen on paper, another tap from strong fingers, and another tick tock from the wall clock. It was monotonous and lengthy, and no one wanted to speak up. Not yet.

Shinra bent down and pulled up Shizuo's sleeve, "I'm going to take your blood pressure first. See if that's alright first." the brunette muttered softly as he wrapped a sphygmomanometer around his bicep. "You know what to do."

"Yeah yeah, I know. Keep calm and don't think of anything that will piss me off. I've got it." Shizuo grumbled as the device grew tighter and tighter. Shinra nodded silently, writing down data on his Shizuo's medical chart.

"126 over 82. Not too bad, but could be a bit better. Probably just cause of the pills. I should put you on blood pressure medication to help with that."

"More pills? God dammit Shinra, is that the only answer you can give me?" Shizuo grunted with frustration. Shinra glanced up at him and sighed, grabbing a light pen and pushing Shizuo's head back.

"For now, yes. Now eyes wide."

Shizuo complied and Shinra shone the light in each honey colored eye, checking to see if autonomic reflexes were working correctly. He nodded, wrote on his file again, and grabbed a percussor and tapped Shizuo's knees.

"Reflexes are fine. Though you did say Izaya was able to catch you off guard?" Shinra questioned. Shizuo nodded and Shinra hummed with thought, "Most likely due to you being slower than normal because of your illness. Nothing wrong with reflexes; however, you did mention that you felt weaker?"

"Yeah," Shizuo nodded, crossing his arms as Shinra wrote more on his clipboard, "Not like something drastic. I just kinda noticed that when the Flea was on me…HEY, DON'T SNICKER LIKE THAT." Shinra bit back the smile creeping on his face and waved his hand for Shizuo to continue. "As I was saying, when he pinned me, for a second he was heavier. I felt like I wouldn't be able to lift him. But before I could try, he ran like some pissy coward."

"Izaya is a pissy coward." Shinra sighed as he picked up the stethoscope and placed it in his ears, "Lift up your shirt, I'm going to check your heart rate and breathing."

Shizuo unbuttoned the simple dress shirt he was wearing and flinched a bit as the cold metal of the stethoscope stung his hot skin. He tired to speak, but Shinra lifted his hand to silence him, "Just breathe deeply."

It was difficult. Each release of air was shaky, and he couldn't gather a deep breathe. Shinra furrowed his brow and shook his head.

"Seems like your breathing is still pretty…"

"Fucked up?"

"More like…declining into a state I'd rather not have you fall into." Shinra said with a more hopeful tone. He stood up and grabbed his clipboard and flipped a few pages to write a new prescription. "Ok, along with the pills your already taking, you're gonna take a blood pressure pill. As well as a multi vitamin to try and boost your immune system. See if your strong body can fight off this ailment without any need for more medication…well, besides this of course."

Shizuo groaned, "Why so many pills? They make me choke." Shinra glanced at him and raised his brow, smiling a bit.

"Aww, would you like a syrup to drink instead?"

"Fuck no! Tastes even worse!"

"And that's why I'm prescribing pills." Shinra said decisively as he ripped the prescription and handed it to Shizuo. "Now, don't lose this slip. This will allow you to get refills when you need it. Start off with one pill. Best to take both at night. Don't change your schedule with the other medication, and keep using the patches Tom gave you if your cravings get really strong. Let's see if we can shake this off, hmm?"

Shizuo nodded and stood up, buttoning his shirt back up. "Alright. This had better work Shinra. I can't keep paying for all these bills when I don't have a job."

"Tom and I already discussed that he would pay for your costs."

"No. I don't want anyone paying for my own problems."

"How about from a mysterious benefactor?~"

"Shut up Shinra. I'm serious. I don't want anyone throwing their hard earned paycheck out the window because of some damn cough."

Shinra sighed, knowing that Shizuo's bull headed nature wouldn't allow any form of reasoning. "Fine fine. But the moment you can't afford it, Tom or I will pay. Deal?"

"…Deal."

The boys shook hands in agreement, and Celty stepped forward to walk Shizuo out.

[I'll walk you home, ok?]

"Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks Celty." Shizuo smiled, "And thanks Shinra, for helping out."

"Anything to help out a friend in need, Shizuo!" the doctor beamed as the two left his apartment. He frowned and walked over toward the window, watching as Celty drove away with Shizuo on the back of her bike. He flipped open his cell and pressed the speed dial, waiting for the other line to pick up.

"Shinra, is there any special reason why you're calling me?" The voice on the other side of the line rasped.

"I've got my reasons." Shinra stated sullenly, closing the blinds to the window; shrouding the room with darkness. Only the light of his phone and the light on the computer cast an eerie glow across the room.

"Do tell. I'm curious."

"You're always curious." Shinra sighed as he took off his glasses and folded them in his hand. He slumped into the chair and let his arm lie limp over the edge as his head fell back, eyes closed.

"I need a favor."

"It'll cost you, you know. My services don't come cheap."

"Not even a discount for a friend?"

"You're lucky I'm fond of you."

Shinra chuckled, "Yeah yeah. Anyways, my services include you're hard earned cash."

"…Pardon?"

The underground doctor sighed, and blearily stared at the ceiling in a blind daze. "I need you to pay for some medication…"