Hello!~ Merry Christmas Eve! Or Merry Christmas, if you happen to be in the right time zone! Ahh, I love the holidays! This is my gift for you!~ :3 I know some people were confused with the last chapter at the line "cream of white". Just to clarify, that's the blur of the couch as it flew at Izaya's face. xD I imagine Shizuo owning a cream colored couch, and I believe I mentioned that in a previous chapter. Oh well, tiny details!
Pain flared through Shizuo's body as the red haze of his rage subsided. It ebbed away slowly, allowing the sharp pangs to pierce his chest. Shaking away the fog in his head, Shizuo finally caught up with what had happened.
Izaya had taken their argument too far and had insulted his brother. He had lost all control and snapped. In his frenzy, he grabbed the sofa and threw it at the flea, successfully hitting him. However, his body was retaliating with the sudden strain.
He stumbled, falling onto one knee as he tried to catch himself. The pain expanded over his arms, shoulders, and back. The muscles ached and burned after their sudden use. He thanked the heavens that he didn't break any bones.
Struggling to catch a breath as his lungs strained for air, he glanced up to inspect the damage. His couch was definitely no longer functional. The cream colored furniture was broken and the upholstery was ripped. The wall it flew into was cracked and the paint chipped off in chunks. A cabinet he used to store his movies was leaning on its side, threatening to topple over.
Using the tipped table as leverage, he tried to pick himself up to his feet, but the pain in his back kept him crippled onto his knees. He had pulled his back once before as a kid, and it was hell. Over time he grew used to the pain, but now that he was so much weaker, his body was unable to block it.
He heard a soft groan, and half walked, half crawled over toward the sofa.
"F-flea?" He hissed, dropping down a bit so he could look through the gap. Pinned between the cabinet and the couch, Izaya was bent in an awkward and most likely uncomfortable position. The raven tried to turn his body away, but was unable to free himself from the confines. Shizuo could hear the obvious gasp of pain that escaped Izaya's lips. "Izaya…are you alright?"
Izaya grit his teeth, glaring at Shizuo through narrow eyes. "Do..I look like I'm fine?" Izaya twisted his body and pushed on the couch, trying to push it off him. He managed to free his arm, and rocked the sofa. It slowly gained momentum, and Shizuo pushed on the arm to try and lift it off. It tipped to the side, crushing Izaya's already pinned ankle underneath.
The informant cried out in agony, instantly letting go and letting it fall back onto him. Pain shot through his leg, and his ankle throbbed. He could instantly tell that it was wounded, although he wasn't able to tell how severely.
Shizuo kept the couch propped up with his shoulder, as he reached for Izaya. The raven stared at Shizuo bitterly, unwillingly to reach out for him. Shizuo grunted with annoyance, "Izaya, quit being stubborn. Grab my hand and I'll pull you out."
"I'm not being stubborn you idiot!" Izaya hissed, his voice laced with pain. "For once I'm actually pinned…you damn brute…"
"Can I move the couch?"
"No…if you rock it, it'll only crush my ankle more."
The strain in Izaya voice was evident. His breath came in sharp gasps, and although his face remained relatively calm, his hands were trembling as the pain grew worse. Shizuo started to get worried. He didn't know what to do. Seeing Izaya trapped underneath the couch…it only reminded him of his past. Of that poor milk lady who-
No, he wouldn't let that repeat. He wouldn't run away. He'd help this time.
"Hey, I'm gonna rock the couch toward me to lift it off your ankle." Shizuo decided, talking out loud mostly to himself instead of Izaya. But the informant nodded, happy to get this thing off him.
Pulling with the rest of his strength - which wasn't much - he pulled the couch toward him, lifting it off Izaya's ankle by a few inches. Izaya pulled his leg free and started to crawl out of the gap, dragging his leg behind him. Once he was free, Shizuo dropped the sofa and fell to the ground, gasping in pain.
His upper body screamed at him to rest. To do anything but move. He lie on the ground, heart racing, arms aching, and chest spasming. He coughed, the movement causing stabs of pain in his chest.
But he sat up, arms quivering as he struggled to hold himself up. He lurched forward to grab Izaya, catching the raven off guard.
"O-oi! What are you doing?"
Shizuo held Izaya close, fingers digging into Izaya's shirt and cradling the wounded informant close to his chest. Izaya was pulled flush against the blonde's body, trapped in his arms.
"S-shizu-chan?"
"I'm sorry…" the blond rasped, burying his face into Izaya's shoulder. He coughed and gasped for air. His lungs refused to work properly, and his heart was racing. A sheen of sweat covered his pale face and his hair clung to the back of his neck.
Izaya's eyes widened when he realized that Shizuo was suffering from an anxiety attack. The stress on his body was shocking his system. "Hey! Shizuo! It's ok! I'm not hu-"
"Your ankle…is…hurt…" Shizuo wheezed. He fell to the side, pulling Izaya to the ground with him. They laid on the floor, both tired and in pain. Izaya was still in Shizuo's grip, but his arms pulled away easily. The blonde didn't even try to hold his grip, as he faded in and out of consciousness - the lack of oxygen making his world blurry.
Izaya shifted so he sat on his knees, biting his tongue as the shifting twisted his ankle. He saw his cell phone, which was lying on the now flipped table, and reached for it. As soon as his fingers grasped the device, he hit speed dial to call Shinra. He set it on the ground next to him and put it on speaker phone, shaking Shizuo to try and keep him awake.
"Brute, you need to not pass out. If you do that, Shinra will have my head."
"I'm…" A shaky gasp broke his sentence, "Fine…"
"Hello, Doctor Kishitani speaking."
"Shinra! I need you to get to Shizu-chan's place immediate-"
"Izaya? What's wrong! Why do you sound s-"
"Shinra, listen to me!" Izaya barked, grabbing the phone and yelling into it, "Shizuo threw the couch at me-"
"What? Why? What did you do to provoke him?" Shinra scolded, obviously upset with Izaya's actions. The brunette growled and wished he could strangle the doctor through the phone.
"Just get over here! My ankle is most likely broken, and Shizuo is having an anxiety attack. He's not breathing well!"
"Ah! Right! I'll get Celty to drive me over! We'll be there in fifteen minutes."
Izaya felt his stomach drop. Fifteen minutes? He glanced at the blonde who was trying to breathe through his constant murmuring of 'I'm sorry'. "Faster than that Shinra. I need you here now."
He hung up and se the phone down harshly, gritting his teeth at the stress he was under.
"I'm…sorry…" Shizuo panted again, prying open his tired honey eyes. Izaya felt his heart ache at the tenderness in his gaze. He shook his head and leaned over Shizuo, grabbing the blonde's face with his hands softly.
"Hey, listen to me. You gotta stop talking and just calm down. You gotta breathe."
Shizuo shook his head weakly, causing Izaya to curse under his breath. "Izaya…y-you were right…"
Izaya furrowed his brow and scowled, "About what?"
The raven could barely see the corner of Shizuo's mouth turn up in a bitter laugh as he closed his eyes. "I am a monster."
"Well, yes. We already knew th-"
"And…I'll never…be calm…or have a...peaceful life."
With every breath, Shizuo's chest tightened, and he broke into ragged coughs. The look on his face was pained as the burning in his muscles grew, engulfing him. Izaya knew that no matter what pain he was in due to his injured ankle, Shizuo was in far worse condition.
And for once…Izaya truly wanted to help him.
He sucked up his pride, threw away his inhibitions, and gave into the lurking creature that had been whispering in the back of his mind. He let that pink demon take over.
Leaning forward, he pressed his lips tenderly against Shizuo's, shutting him up from his masochistic rambling. Shizuo blinked and looked up at Izaya, who's eyes had grown wide with concern, and radiated warmth.
"Tsu-chan…" the informant whispered, staring hard at Shizuo as he brushed his thumbs across his heated cheeks.
"W-what?"
"Listen to me. You need to calm down, Tsu-chan." Izaya replied, his voice laced with a softness Shizuo has never heard. It was completely unique to the flea, as well as being completely foreign. It was the voice of a make believe man that was residing deep in the cold heart of Izaya Orihara.
Another sharp pain shot through Shizuo as he tried to take a deep breath. His body jerked and twitched, and it took all his remaining strength to not cry out. "I can't-"
"Yes you can…" Izaya pleaded, pressing his forehead against Shizuo's. He let himself sink into the character that he had been fighting off for so long. It was…so easy. It was like breathing. Natural. He was Psyche.
"If you calm down, it won't hurt. You need to breathe, Tsu-chan."
Hearing this voice leaving Izaya's lips - no. No, this wasn't Izaya anymore. It was Izaya's face, but this man nurturing him, and calming him. This wasn't the flea. This was Psyche. The one he had fallen for. The one who made him happy.
But…didn't the flea make him happy now too?
Shizuo closed his eyes, a typhoon of emotions swirling within him. He pushed back the conflicting thoughts and focused. He lifted his shaky hand to press against Izaya's chest, feeling the peaceful heartbeat. He slowed his breathing - if you could call gasping and wheezing breathing - to match the raven's heartbeat.
"You're…you're not a monster, Tsu-chan…" Izaya forced out, amazed that even he was admitting this. In this state, Shizuo was more human than he ever imagined. The thought that the one constant thing in his life was changing was terrifying. But he couldn't let that show. Right now, he needed to be Psyche. And he needed Shizuo to accept being Tsugaru. That was the only thing that could help them.
It took a while, but soon the pain in Shizuo's back and arms were reducing, and his breathing was getting better. His chest still ached, and lungs burned from the strain. But at last - he was calm. He was the person he always wanted to be. A man who didn't let rage over take him. A being that remained collected and composed even in the most stressing moments. He was Tsugaru.
Shizuo's arms reached up to wrap around Izaya's thin frame, holding him close. The raven rested his head on Shizuo's shoulder, making sure he wasn't lying directly on his chest. Together, they laid in the broken living room; waiting patiently for the doctor to arrive to patch them up.