Thank you so much for the comments! Someone had asked if this was close to being finished. I'd say we're just about over half way. So there is plenty to come, but we are now officially over the hill and heading toward that end! ;A; Either way, thank you so much for sticking with this story. I never imagined it would get so big, or have so many readers and reviews. It blows my mind, and it's all thanks to you guys!

Izaya's head was pounding, and the ringing in his ears refused to stop. He wasn't sure how long he had been lying half awake in bed. It felt like hours. Days. Weeks. Just constant pain and illness that refused to cease.

He curled up under his blankets, eyes clenched shut and hands gripping his hair as he tried to ignore the throbbing pain. He buried his face into his pillow, groaning as he writhed.

After what felt like hours, he forced himself to roll onto his side, and peeked out from underneath the covers; glaring at the sunlight that was streaming in his room. All the light did was cause him pain. He suffered as it tried to welcome the day.

Fuck the sun. Darkness was better.

Gritting his teeth, he pulled the covers off him and instantly started shivering. God damn it was cold. Holding a hand to his head in attempts to stop his skull from shattering at the pressure, he shuffled tiredly to the window, forcing the shades shut. It wasn't as dark as he'd like…but it was manageable.

A wave of vertigo hit him, and he wobbled to the side, slamming into the wall as he tried to regain his balance.

"Tch…fuck me sideways with a screwdriver…" he hissed, annoyed at his own pathetic weakness.

"Wouldn't that hurt?"

Izaya jumped a bit and turned around to face his now open door, groaning as the spun faster. He squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his temple, trying to massage away the pain.

"Nngg…"

"Hey, you should lie down." Shizuo said in a whisper, setting down the tray of food he had brought in. He hurried over to Izaya and gently grabbed his shoulders, leading him back toward the bed. "Come on…you had a rough night last night. Just rest."

Guiding him back into bed, Shizuo covered Izaya with the thick comforter, and fluffed a pillow. Izaya watched him through slit eyes, observing every movement and kind gesture.

"Why are you doing this?" he rasped, as Shizuo went to close the shades more. He pulled a thin blanket from the bed and hung it over the railing to add a second layer. It darkened the room considerably, and suddenly Izaya's headache was a little more manageable.

"You're taking care of me. It's only right to take care of you." Shizuo said simply as he turned around and smiled, "Besides, hangovers suck. But they suck a little bit less when you've got someone making sure you're ok."

"What time did you get here?"

"I slept on the couch again. Seemed like the best thing to do."

"Ah.."

Izaya groaned and rolled back into his side, burying his face into the pillow. The smell of food made his stomach churn, but it felt so empty and acidic. He knew he needed something or else he'd end up just being sick.

"I made you some fresh toast and eggs, and a banana. I also went to the store and got you a carton of orange juice. That'll give you vitamins and keep you hydrated." Shizuo explained as he picked up the tray and set it down on the bed in front of the ill informant.

"Mmm…so wise for someone who did so poorly in schooling." Izaya reached for the toast, and took a small bite out of the corner, letting the warm buttery bread melt in his mouth before taking another bite. "Where'd you learn all this information about curing hangovers?"

"I went on your computer and googled it."

"YOU WHAT?"

Izaya regretted screaming out, and clutched his head as the blood rush pounded in his ears and threatened to rupture his skill - or at least, that's what it felt like. He grit his teeth and glared at Shizuo through narrow eyes. "Why did you go on my computer?"

Shizuo shrugged, "I didn't know what else to do." He frowned, "Listen, I'm not a snoop. I didn't go digging through the files you have littering your desktop. I went online, googled what I wanted to know, and closed out. I didn't touch anything else, ok?"

Sighing, Izaya decided to believe him. It really was uncharacteristic for Shizuo to go looking at his private files. That was something he himself would most likely pull.

"Fine fine…any aspirin?"

Shizuo shook his head, "It said that wouldn't be smart, since it could thin your blood more or something. Best to just sleep it off and keep hydrated." The bartender reached for the glass of orange juice and held it to Izaya's lips. Swallowing back a small swell of nausea, he sipped at the orange juice as Shizuo served it to him. He finished his toast and started to work on the banana.

"Hey flea."

"Yeah?"

"What…well...what do you remember from last night?" Shizuo's voice trembled slightly, although Izaya didn't catch it. The ex-blonde was curious, and terrified at the possibility Izaya might somehow remember last nights events. He felt his cheeks turning pink at the though, and focused on cutting up Izaya's eggs.

The informant - despite how impeccable his memory was on a good day - couldn't remember much. Most of the party was a blur, and any bits he did recall could have easily been a dream. They were so unrealistic it was frightening.

"Well…I remember drinking the eggnog. I left after a while cause I was starting to feel a little buzzed. I can handle beer, but anything else makes my head spin." Shizuo nodded in agreement, reaching over to help Izaya peel his banana although the raven was perfectly capable of doing it himself.

"Anything else?"

"We danced. Not too shabby, by the way."

Shizuo snorted with mild humor, "Yeah, you're not too bad yourself."

"Oh, and we made out."

Shizuo flushed red immediately, nearly dropping the banana in his surprise, "U-uh…I..I guess you could say that."

Izaya shrugged, "Yeah. I remember the mistletoe a bit. But that's when things got hazy and I was really out of it. I think we kissed a bit more…you're not too bad. Then things got dark, and I remember hitting my head. Did I fall?"

Shizuo stared at Izaya with wide eyes. The look on his face was that of pure horror. He swallowed and cleared his throat, "Uh..w-well…"

Izaya simply raised his brow in question, although it caused him to flinch. He took a bite out of his banana, waiting for Shizuo to respond.

The action only made Shizuo flinch.

"Well?"

"Uh…a-after the first kiss…we…we kissed a bit more and things were getting a bit too close. I pushed you back into a wall, and you hit your head." Shizuo rambled, trying to get out enough information without going over board. His face was on fire as he tried to explain.

Izaya nodded, rubbing the back of his head where the bump was receding, but still bruised. "I figured…damn my head hurts…"

"I'm sorry."

"Eh?"

Shizuo sighed, "I said I was sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, ok? I just got…"

"Flustered?"

Shizuo nodded. Izaya made a small sound of understanding before eating the rest of his banana and pushing the cut up eggs with his fork. He wasn't really that hungry, and wasn't in the mood for eggs. But he knew he needed his protein. He grimaced as he stabbed a small bite and forced it down, sipping orange juice as he ate. Shizuo sat on the edge of the bed and watched him, ready to help if Izaya needed it.

Suddenly, a familiar feeling caught his attention. The vague memory of fingers running through his hair and rubbing his scalp soothingly. Red-rimmed eyes locked on Shizuo, focusing in on how the man was watching him with concern as he ran his fingers through raven locks. The gesture made his chest tighten up. Izaya had a feeling he knew what had happened at the party. After all, everything in his "dreams" turned out to be real. And he definitely remembered the soft touch of those digits in his hair before he drifted to sleep. He also remembered the gentle, almost non-existent kiss Shizuo had left before he whispered words that he couldn't make out.

He sighed, pushing away his plate. "I don't have much of an appetite. I'm just going to sleep all day."

A warm smile tugged at Shizuo's lips, "Sounds fine by me. I'll check up on you later." he said as he picked up the dirty dishes and turned to leave. Izaya watched him as he left, sighing as he laid back down in the comfort of his bed and closed his eyes.

Ahh, everything was so complicated now.