Happy New Years! Or rather, Happy New Years Ever! Tiny update for today! ;A; I hope you don't mind! I didn't want to keep anyone waiting, but I just can't write anymore today. Busy busy getting ready for the new year! I've decided my New Years Resolution! To be more positive and to not overexert myself by striving for perfection. I'm just going to be happy with how I am and not let others get to me. I would ask Twin what his is, but he's not online at the moment. Tell me, do you have a New Years Resolution?

Izaya let himself into the apartment, slipping off his jacket and hanging it on the coat rack.

"I'm home!~" he called out, glancing around. From the looks of it, Shizuo hadn't woken up yet. The kitchen was spotless, and although his furniture was put back into order, it hadn't been touched otherwise. "Shizu-chan?"

He walked slowly toward the bedroom, quiet to see if he could hear anything. He scowled and rolled his eyes - if that brute managed to die somehow, he wasn't going to hear the end of it.

"Shizu-chaaaaan? You breathing?"

"Nnggnn…"

Izaya pushed open the bedroom door to find Shizuo still laying in bed, hair disheveled and sheets twisted in a mess. The raven walked over and sat on the bed, prodding at the blonde's arm.

"Oi, you awake?"

Shizuo grumbled something incoherent, and rolled onto his back, glaring at Izaya with crusty eyes.

"Repeat that. I don't speak imbecile."

"I said…" he started with a croaked voice, "…I'm awake, just not feeling well."

Izaya tilted his head, bending down to get a good look at the brute. He did look like hell; his eyes were cloudy, his face was flushed, and the informant was sure his skin looked slick with a thin layer of sweat. He leaned down to press his lips against Shizuo's forehead.

"Flea?"

"Calm down, I'm just checking your temperature."

He stayed put for a moment, frowning when he could feel the fever brewing under Shizuo's skin.

"Shizu-chan…" he sighed, pulling away to grab a pillow, "What are you doing, getting yourself sicker?"

Shizuo "tch'd" and sat up with the help of Izaya, who propped the pillow behind his back so he was sitting at an angle. "It's not like I wanted to."

"Does Shinra know?"

"Yeah, I called him last night when I first started feeling shitty. Said it was probably because I was weak from overexerting myself. Said more meds would help." He grumbled, coughing into his hand heavily. Izaya rubbed his back until the coughing fit ended, and pulled the covers around him.

"I'll go get medicine then. I'm sure aspirin will break that fever." Izaya got up and left his crutch, thinking it would only slow him down. He winced a bit, but got used to limping quickly as he hurried into the kitchen.

Shiki's words continued to roll around in his head. He could practically hear the man whispering that he was "getting soft" and his attention to Shizuo when he was sick was more proof. He hissed and grabbed the medication out of the cabinet and filled a glass with water. He couldn't think about what Shiki had said right now. He had to focus on helping…

He sighed. Damn…Shiki was on to something.

Forcing the thought out of his head, he shambled back into the bedroom and took a seat on the bed, handing Shizuo the glass. "Here, sip at this." The blonde nodded and slowly drank the water while Izaya opened the various medicine bottles and poured out Shizuo's normal prescription, plus the aspirin.

"Shit..that's a lot." Shizuo groaned, seeing the mix of pills in Izaya's hand. The raven shrugged and handed them to Shizuo, who downed them each slowly.

"I know, but you have to keep up on it. I know you haven't been taking them daily."

"I've been feeling better."

"Well look at yourself now." Izaya snapped, feeling irritated. It was starting to bother him that the brute was getting ill so easily. It was too human…

Shizuo handed the empty glass to Izaya, closing his tired eyes. "I'm gonna rest…you can stay here if you want. No point in going all the way back to your place." Izaya nodded, tucking the covers around Shizuo before pushing himself to his feet.

"Then I'll make you something to eat. Soup sound good?" Izaya asked, scowling a bit when Shizuo tiredly nodded with a small smile on his features. The raven stormed out of the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

He didn't know why it bothered him so much. Seeing Shizuo stuck in bed with a fever made his skin crawl. And knowing that he was so willing to go out of his way to take care of him made his stomach flip and his chest ache.

Were these the butterflies everyone felt in their stomach; the twisting nausea and nervousness that bubbled inside him that made him squirm and feel flushed? He had to stop to lean against the table, clutching his stomach as it continued to flip. He glared at his body, watching as his hands trembled with this overwhelming feeling.

Shaking his head, Izaya went into the kitchen to start making some chicken noodle soup for Shizuo. Anything to get his mind off of those emotions he was so unfamiliar with.