A piercing screech and a jagged jerk of the cables caused the elevator to shake, throwing both of its passengers to lose balance and stumble a bit. The lights flickered and hummed above them until they dimmed to a very low setting.

Shizuo was thrown back into the wall, slamming his lower back into the metal rail. He grit his teeth and winced, pressing his hands against the wall as the and was leaning against it with all his weight as he stared up at the ceiling. "What the fuck! Oi, flea, what's going on?" He squinted his eyes in the dim and flickering lighting, and saw Izaya near the corner.

The raven haired man was thrown onto his knees from the sudden halt of the elevator. One hand clung tightly to the metal bar, while the other was gripping at the tile floors. He remained silent as Shizuo stared at him.

"Izaya!"

"Nn…"

Shizuo stepped forward from the wall tentatively, afraid that one movement will make the elevator drop. He slowly scooted over, seeing that Izaya was trembling softly under that large jacket.

"Izaya…"

"Try the emergency button…" Izaya choked out, pointing with a unsteady hand. Shizuo nodded and pressed the red button on the command panel. No response.

"I don't know if it's working."

"Press all the buttons."

"I am!" Shizuo growled, looking over his shoulder to glare at Izaya. But his harsh gaze softened as two wide eyes peeked out from beneath that veil of black hair. He sighed, walking back over and kneeled down, his own hands shaking as the adrenaline rush flowed through him.

"You ok?"

Izaya choked out a bitter laugh, "Never…been better…" With a quivering fist, Izaya pulled on the bar, tugging himself up from his crouching position until he was standing on shaky legs. His knuckles turned white as he quickly pressed himself against the wall and gripped onto the metal bars as tight as he could. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths, feeling Shizuo shift toward him. "Just…give me a minute to recollect myself and think."

Shizuo nodded and looked around. All that he cold see were the four metal walls and the mirror along the back wall. He stared back at his reflection, and caught sight of Izaya standing behind him.

The informant's scarlet eyes were flitting around the small space, as if trying to find even the smallest crack that he could squeeze through. Oblivious to Shizuo staring at him through the reflection, his walls fell down for a moment; he was completely preoccupied and focused on finding a way out of this mess.

From what Shizuo could tell, the flea was really freaked out. Hell, he was pretty freaked out too! But Izaya…he looked much worse than Shizuo had ever seen before. He's seen Izaya in tight spots in the past, and he never once showed an ounce of fear. But this time, his masks were crumbling before him, and Shizuo could clearly see the emotions in Izaya's face. He could see the panic bubbling up to the surface.

Izaya Orihara was actually…afraid.

Despite what better judgment was telling him, Shizuo turned and stepped closer to Izaya, resting his hand on Izaya's shoulder. Izaya flinched and tensed, glancing over at Shizuo with wary eyes. He pushed a bit, causing Izaya to slide down the wall until he folded in on himself, knees curled to his chest. Shizuo sat beside him, shoulders pressed together as they sat in the corner of the elevator in silence.

The lights flickered again, causing Izaya to shiver a bit as he stared at the ceiling with wide eyes. Shizuo noticed his trembling fingers just before the lights finally faded, leaving them in darkness. He could only make out the form of Izaya. He reached over and grabbed Izaya's wrist firmly. Izaya glanced over, catching Shizuo's eyes despite the darkness.

"You're cold."

"That's what happens when you're frightened, Shizuo" he whispered as he broke eye contact to stare back up at the ceiling.

"I can tell." Shizuo whispered back, feeling that talking any louder would only make things worse. Wrapping on arm around Izaya's shoulders, he pulled the informant closer to him, pressing the lithe man into his side. Izaya quivered and buried his face into his knees, wrapping his arms tightly around his legs.

"Tch…so embarrassing."

"Embarrassing?" Shizuo chuckled a bit, "Of all the things you can be thinking right now, that's what it is?"

Izaya glared at him, although he wasn't sure if the brute could see. He doubted it. "You wouldn't understand."

"Heh, 'course not. You're too confusing to try to figure out." Shizuo bit back the awkwardness of sitting so close to the flea, and ran his hand along Izaya's arm in a soothing manner.

Izaya peered at Shizuo through his hair, hiding underneath the dark shadows. He couldn't understand why Shizuo would want to comfort him. He was fully aware that his masks had crumbled; no matter how hard he tried to put the pieces back together, he couldn't.

"What are you doing?"

"Calming you down."

"Why?"

Shizuo sighed and shifted, making himself comfortable as he closed his eyes. "Two reasons. One, seeing you freaked out is really weird. And I don't like it. And two, I don't know a way out of this. You're the one with the brains. You can figure out a way out if you're calm."

Izaya smiled a bit, "Heh…not so stupid I suppose." He lifted his head from his knees and looked around. "Although, it's too dark to see now."

"That's ok. It seems like the elevator is just going to sit here for a bit."

"You don't know that."

"Quit being negative and see the bright side of things."

"There is no bright side! We are trapped in an elevator that could cause us to plunge to our deaths! I don't know about you, but I don't want to die! Especially not in a situation that I had no control of whatsoever!" Izaya shrieked, panic crawling up his spine again as his instinctive fears of death began to boil over. Grinding his teeth, he shook his head and buried his face back into his knees. "So..stupid…"

"What are you so afraid of?"

"…uncontrolled circumstances." Izaya admitted, voice barely above a whisper. He thanked the darkness as he felt his cheeks flare up with shame. "My life is on the line, and I can't do anything to stop it. I am afraid of…dying with no control. When I die, it'll be when I allow it. Not what a damn elevator decides to malfunction."

Shizuo rubbed Izaya's back soothingly, resting his chin atop his head. "Hey…I'm scared too. It's ok to be scared."

"Tch…hardly."